Born on Argentine Thursday. Already the Spanish dawn traveled several hours. Juan Román Riquelme has a wide smile. Happiness springs up. A while before he was celebrating in a box like one more fan, flipping a blue and yellow shirt and shouting for Mouth champion. Now play with the words. The vice president xeneize is happy: “It is a bit strange for us to be the club that has won the most in these two years. It is the third title and we do not have as many finals as the others. Is rare…”.
If Riquelme is like this, it is because in Santiago del Estero, at the Madre de Cities stadium, his Boca found the end of the year joy that he so badly needed at the end of a traumatic 2021. It’s a smile. It is relief.
Boca won the fourth Argentina Cup of its history. It is another star. It joins the Maradona Cup captured at the start of the year. The third conquest that Román highlights belongs to the league caught in 2020. This title that the xeneize world celebrates is also worth the direct trip to the group stage of the next Copa Libertadores, that competition that the xeneizes obsessed and that they have not won since 14 years ago.
Boca suffered, it’s real. He didn’t play well at all, it’s true. However, he managed to sustain the 0-0 in the 90 minutes and celebrated on penalties, winning 5-4 against Talleres who missed the advantage of having one more man in the last 25 minutes.
As it has been happening for some time, it was difficult for him to star in Boca and exhibit a convincing performance. What’s more: he hardly created goal situations. All in a game of friction, unbearable, boring. It seemed that he was slipping away 20 minutes into the second half, when Juan Ramírez was sent off and was left with one less player.
Boca and Talleres finished the 90 minutes without goals
However, Talleres was overcome by fear of losing. He did not dare to win. Until the story led to penalties. Boca’s players had perfect assistance and the hero ended up being goalkeeper Agustín Rossi, who blocked the shot from Héctor Fértoli.
If Riquelme was so happy, it was not only because of what being a champion always represents. Also because he knew that losing would have been equal to a drama. It is that Boca has been hit by a scandalous elimination of the Libertadores, by poor football productions and by internal and disciplinary problems that involved some of its main figures. All while trying to affirm Sebastián Battaglia as a coach in his first strong experience in this role. All while his greatest footballing enemy, River, not only won the league by a wide margin and with a good game, but also confirmed the continuity as Marcelo Gallardo’s DT.
He left River behind on the road in the second round
This Boca that has Roman as vice president can boast of being champion, having left River on the road in the round of 16, also on penalties. In addition, he eliminated Claypole, Defensores de Belgrano, Patronato, Argentinos y Talleres. It cost him an immensity.
The details do not matter to Boca. You will have to correct a lot. For something Riquelme said that he will evaluate everything after the last two games of the year, Saturday against Central Córdoba in the Bombonera that will close the league and Tuesday’s friendly in Saudi Arabia against Barcelona to pay tribute to Diego Maradona. Nothing better than redesigning the future in peace and as a champion.
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