Copa Sudamericana 2026 Semi-Finals: Vasco da Gama make history against Boca Juniors at La Bombonera
A first-half header by Adson handed Vasco da Gama a win in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana semi-final against Boca Juniors in Argentina. The defeat meant that Boca suffered their first defeat in 18 games under Rodolfo Arruabarrena.
At a feverish La Bombonera, it was Vasco da Gama who made a positive start. A poor clearance by the Boca defence saw the ball fall to Bruno Duarte, who struck a shot from outside the box, but it was parried away by Álvaro Montero. Boca fans had very little to cheer for in the opening exchanges, with 19-year-old winger Leonel Flores the only bright spot.
Flores did well to twist around Paulo Henrique and ran the length of the pitch, only for his long-distance shot to go well over. But the Brazilian side remained in control and took the lead in the 25th minute.
Andrés Gómez delivered a sharp cross from the left, and Adson glanced a header past Montero to give his side the lead. The home side did venture into the opposition box more after conceding the opener, but failed to create clear-cut opportunities.
The second half saw Cruzmaltino nearly double their lead inside the first 10 minutes. Paulo Henrique played a neat one-two with Duarte and found himself through on goal. However, the 30-year-old right back saw his shot go narrowly wide of the far post. Boca responded as Sebastian Villa caught a Vasco da Gama loose ball and saw his shot pushed away for a corner by Leo Jardim.
The complexion of the game then changed in the 64th minute. Andres Gomez was shown a yellow card for time-wasting, and the Colombian protested the booking, only for the referee to show him a red card for dissent. From there on, Pedro Emanuel’s side barely hung on.
In the 72nd minute, Vasco da Gama just managed to clear their lines after another sensational run by Flores. The ball fell to Santiago Ascacibar at the edge of the box, and his shot hit the crossbar. Moments later, left back Lautaro Blanco’s low cross went past everyone near the face of the goal.
Deep into stoppage time, the home side had the chance to snatch a draw. A cross into the box led to chaos inside the box. A header almost found Enner Valencia in front of the goal, who was a tap-in away from drawing the Xeneize level. But Uruguay defender Jose Rodriguez just managed to get the ball away before Valencia could get a touch.
The Brazilian side eventually earned their first win over Boca Juniors in CONMEBOL competitions and will now eye finishing the job next week at the Maracanã Stadium.
For Boca Juniors, the defeat will be hard to take, especially after an impressive run of form. They will still be confident of getting a result in Rio de Janeiro, but they know it won’t be easy. The first-leg defeat could prolong their wait for continental success. Their last trophy in continental competition was the Recopa Sudamericana in 2008, having won the Copa Libertadores in 2007.
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