Hey, at least we beat Boca, right? A night after three Argentine sides swept aside Brazilian competition, River Plate were knocked out of the Copa Sudamericana, in Brazil, by Atletico Paranaense. They could only draw the game 2-2 and went out 3-2 on aggregate, ruing the 0-1 loss at home two weeks ago. The confidence produced by winning the Superclasico wasn't enough to keep Daniel Passarella's team in the tournament, extending the club's streak of not winning a continental championship to nine years and counting. It's actually quite a sore spot for a club that strives for bigger and greater glories.
It wasn't a very happy night for Boca Juniors either. After having their asses handed to them by River last Sunday, Boca Juniors were unable to bounce back and were eliminated in the Copa Sudamericana round of 16 by Nacional of Uruguay. To make matters worse, they lost on penalties, Guillermo Barros Schelotto the only Boca player able to get a spot kick past Nacional keeper Alexis Viera. For some reason, that I'm not sure about, they played Boca's home leg in the northwestern town of Salta and not at the Bombonera. All reports state that the home crowd were in excellent form and behind the team throughout the match.
What this means domestically remains to be seen. Boca is in a tailspin no matter where they play. Since La Vople took over, in all competitions, they have won unconvincingly twice, drawn twice, and lost once. They're still topping the table in Argentina, leading River by one point with a game in hand. One thing I know for sure, La Volpe can't withstand many more disappointments. Tomorrow's papers will probably be calling for his ouster. He could be on a flight back to Mexico sooner than later.
Argentine joy in Copa Sudamericana [CNN]
Atletico Paranaense 2-2 River Plate (in Spanish) [La Nacion]
Boca Juniors 2-1 Nacional (in Spanish) [La Nacion]
-ac
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