Boca Juniors comeback seals Sudamericana final place

Boca turned a difficult trip to Brazil into a place in the final. Now Ecuador has another reason to follow November’s continental decider. The Boca Juniors comeback delivered a 3-1 victory over Vasco da Gama at the Maracanã on October 20.

Consequently, Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s side advanced 3-2 on aggregate. Enner Valencia joined the action from the bench as the visitors completed their recovery.

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Boca overturn the first leg deficit in Rio

Vasco arrived with a one goal advantage after winning at La Bombonera. However, that cushion disappeared almost immediately in the return leg.

Lautaro Di Lollo headed home in the fourth minute. Miguel Merentiel then struck in the 34th, putting Boca ahead across both matches. At halftime, the visitors held a 2-0 lead on the night. More importantly, they had changed which team needed the next goal.

José Luis Rodríguez answered in the 66th minute, bringing the aggregate score level. Nevertheless, Leandro Paredes settled the contest with a late strike before stoppage time.

The Colombian Football Federation confirmed Boca’s qualification and the 3-2 aggregate result. Its account also underlined the scale of their recovery after the home defeat.

Di Lollo and Merentiel change the pressure

Di Lollo’s early opener prevented Vasco from settling into their advantage. Instead, the hosts faced a level tie with most of the evening remaining.

El cabezazo de Di Lollo para marcar el BOCA 1 (0)-0 (1) VASCO DA GAMA Centro/tiro de esquina de Blanco. https://t.co/SulYuGoZXC
— Patricio (@PatoDS7) October 21, 2026

Merentiel’s finish carried a different consequence, giving Boca the aggregate lead. Suddenly, Vasco needed a response simply to restore parity across the two legs.

Gol de 'La Bestia' Merentiel, habilitadísimo convierte el 2do en este VASCO 0(1) - (2)2 BOCA💙💛 https://t.co/2tseYLPEat
— Patricio (@PatoDS7) October 21, 2026

That sequence explains why the opening half mattered beyond the scoreboard. Boca erased the first-leg damage, then forced their opponents to chase. However, a two goal match lead offered no guarantee of qualification. One Vasco goal would still bring the overall score back to 2-2.

Arruabarrena’s players therefore entered the second half with an advantage that demanded care. Their next challenge involved containing Vasco’s response.

Valencia joins a tense second half

Rodríguez pulled Vasco back into the contest midway through the second half. As a result, Boca’s comfortable-looking match lead became a tied semifinal on aggregate.

¡¡GOLAZO DEL PUMITA RODRÍGUEZ PARA EMPATAR LA SERIE ANTE BOCA!! ¡ASÍ IGUALÓ TODO VASCO EN BRASIL! 📺 Las SEMIS de la CONMEBOL #Sudamericana, por ESPN en el Plan Premium de #DisneyPlus https://t.co/SVbbv1qQ3j
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) October 21, 2026

Valencia entered for the closing stages, giving Ecuadorian viewers another reason to watch closely. However, he did not score any of Boca’s three goals. His appearance came while the visitors still needed to settle qualification. Meanwhile, Paredes provided the decisive attacking contribution with his shot from outside the area.

Adentro VELASCO junto a VALENCIA. ¿Qué pasará en Brasil? 📺 Las SEMIS de la CONMEBOL #Sudamericana, por ESPN en el Plan Premium de #DisneyPlus https://t.co/azrmJFZPZQ
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) October 21, 2026

La Tri followers now have a final to follow. His role in Colombia will depend on Arruabarrena’s selection closer to kickoff.

Boca Juniors comeback turns on the final goal

Paredes’ late finish made it 3-1 and restored Boca’s aggregate advantage. Consequently, the visitors avoided leaving their qualification to a penalty shootout.Vasco’s task changed again. A second home goal would have levelled the tie again, but Boca protected their advantage.

Copa Sudamericana, semi-final, second leg: Vasco da Gama 🇧🇷 1-3 🇦🇷 Boca Juniors! Leandro Paredes’ long-distance (fumbled) strike sealed Boca’s fantastic win at Maracanã having lost their home leg 1-0. Tonight: Torque 🇺🇾 vs 🇧🇷 Atl. Mineiro (0-3) https://t.co/452zuok7nl
— 📚 Tears at La Bombonera/Dame Bola (@BomboneraTears) October 21, 2026

Emol’s match report describes Paredes collecting possession outside the area before shooting powerfully. Goalkeeper Léo Jardim could not keep the effort out.

This Copa Sudamericana semifinal ultimately rewarded the side that produced the final scoring action. At full time, Boca held the decisive aggregate margin.

Three scorers give Boca the required response

The Boca Juniors comeback succeeded because the visitors answered different scoring demands. First, Di Lollo removed the deficit they brought from Buenos Aires.

Merentiel then established a lead, while Paredes supplied the winner after Vasco recovered. That spread of contributions gave Boca more than one decisive attacking outlet. Meanwhile, their earlier knockout results show several ways of surviving pressure. They advanced past O’Higgins on penalties, according to the federation’s tournament summary.

Against São Paulo, they progressed by a single goal on aggregate. This time, however, they needed to overturn a defeat before securing passage.

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