Boca Juniors beat Always Ready 2-0 on Tuesday in a spicy match that allowed them to recover ground in Group E of the Copa Libertadores with a brace by striker Darío Benedetto.
A low cross from Exequiel Zeballos shook off the Always Ready defense and cleared the way for Benedetto to score the first goal of the game in the 25th minute at the legendary Bombonera.
The first goal woke up Sebastián Battaglia’s Boca, who began the duel with a certain parsimony and allowed the runner-up of the Bolivian first division, Always Ready, to obtain quick arrivals thanks to the Argentine striker, Marcos Riquelme.
Although Riquelme brought danger to the rival area, he did not get clear definitions that managed to equalize the score. Near the end of the first half, the game was stopped for several minutes due to an altercation between the players of both teams due to a very serious foul by Rodrigo Ramallo on the Colombian defender of the local team, Frank Fabra.
After a series of pushes, the referee managed to regain control of the match, but he sent off Ramallo at 45 minutes and admonished his teammate Juan Carlos Arce, as well as two Boca players: Benedetto and Gastón Ávila.
In the first minutes of the second half, the claims of the Bolivian coach, Eduardo Villegas, against the referee escalated to the point of getting a red card.
Without their coach on the field of play, Albirrojo was left stunned on the field of play and several defensive errors allowed Boca’s left winger, Eduardo “Toto” Salvio, to generate multiple chances that could only be frustrated by the goalposts.
Seconds from the final whistle, ‘el Pipa’ Benedetto received a floating ball from a corner kick that he accommodated in the 96th minute with his head towards the goal and left the Always Ready goalkeeper stunned.
Those led by Battaglia will have to face Corinthians next Tuesday, at the Sao Paulo Arena, which debuted with a defeat against the Bolivian team. With this Tuesday’s victory, Boca is second in zone E and has three points, the same as Always Ready.
