Boca Juniors defeats Vasco da Gama to reach Copa Sudamericana final

Boca Juniors secured a dramatic 3-1 victory against Vasco da Gama at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit to advance to the 2026 Copa Sudamericana final. The Argentine club broke a negative streak of failing to win in their previous 11 visits to Brazilian territory, booking their place in the decisive match scheduled for November 21 at the Estadio Metropolitano in Barranquilla.

The visitors wasted no time erasing their disadvantage from the initial match in Buenos Aires. Just four minutes into the contest, Lautaro Di Lollo opened the scoring with a header inside the penalty area to level the aggregate score. Boca maintained the pressure and doubled their lead in the 34th minute when Miguel Merentiel finished off a swift counterattack with an effective strike.

Vasco da Gama attempted to rally in the second half and provided a response in the 66th minute through José Luis Rodríguez. The player netted a crossed shot inside the box to equalize the series once again, shifting the momentum and leaving the outcome in the balance as the match entered its closing stages.

With the fixture seemingly heading toward a tense conclusion, Leandro Paredes delivered the decisive moment in the 88th minute. The midfielder, who recovered from a muscle injury in record time, unleashed a long-range shot that beat the goalkeeper to seal the 3-1 scoreline and spark wild celebrations among the visiting players and coaching staff.

Emotions spilled over immediately after the final whistle, leading to on-field tension between the two squads. Boca forward Ángel Romero confronted Vasco midfielder Thiago Mendes over a provocative artificial intelligence-generated image posted online prior to the match, which depicted Mendes tearing apart the Argentine club's crest. Teammates and coaching staff quickly intervened to separate the players before the situation escalated further.

Addressing the media after the game, Romero stressed the importance of mutual respect in professional sports. "You have to respect the shirt; not only Boca's, you have to respect any shirt," Romero stated, adding that the historic stature of his club demands professional decorum. Meanwhile, Mendes issued an apology for the online post and analyzed his team's defensive lapses during the opening minutes.

Boca Juniors will now look ahead to the final in Barranquilla, where they will face the winner of the semifinal series between Brazil's Atlético Mineiro and Uruguay's Montevideo City Torque. Under the direction of Rodolfo Arruabarrena, the squad remains active across multiple competitions as the demanding 2026 calendar approaches its climax.