At a packed La Bombonera, São Paulo lost 1-0 to Boca Juniors this Tuesday (8) in the first leg of the 2026 Conmebol Sudamericana quarterfinals.
Tricolor Paulista had a solid first half and even created a good chance, with Luciano’s header, but the goalkeeper made the save.
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However, after the break, São Paulo’s game collapsed under the Argentine pressure.
Before 10 minutes of the second half had been played, Merentiel pounced on a rebound from the defense, went one-on-one with Rafael, and opened the scoring for Boca Juniors.
Xeneizes had two great chances to extend the lead, but Rafael made a great save from a header, and Velasco came inches from the post with a long-range rocket.
🧐 Controversy over the refereeing
At the end of the match, the referee showed a red card to Domingos Duarte after a heavy challenge with Paredes.
However, after a VAR review, the referee overturned the red card for the Tricolor center-back, but did not show any card to the Argentine player, causing outrage among São Paulo’s players.
🚦 How things stand
With the defeat at La Bombonera, São Paulo need to win by two goals at MorumBIS next Tuesday (15) to advance to the Sudamericana semifinals.
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If Tricolor win by one goal, the spot will be decided on penalties.
Boca Juniors only need a draw to qualify for the next round.
São Paulo return to action next Saturday (12), when they visit Palmeiras at Nubank Parque for Round 27 of the Brasileirão.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
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