That Boca has returned to La Bombonera is almost like when you return to your childhood home, or to your parents’ house that you lived in at some point in your life. There is something magical, a beautiful feeling that is difficult to explain, but also the feeling that sometimes, happiness is somewhere else.
Not because the Bombonera does not generate happiness, but because Diego Martínez’s team, in the Bombonera, sometimes cannot give the satisfaction that the fans are looking for. It was close, because especially in the second half, Boca cornered Defensa y Justicia. He had clear situations, such as a volley from Blondel that hit the crossbar after a failed start by goalkeeper Fiermarin; or, already in the final minutes, a cross that was left to Figal and the defender could not connect. But what prevailed was Boster’s frustration: there was no way to score the goal, no matter how much he tried in various ways.
Obviously it is not just a problem for Cavani, who did not play last night due to his muscle injury, but for the team: he cannot find the channel to score. The player who ensures that shout. The Uruguayan is always a few centimeters away. Benedetto, who started last night, is far from the best version of him. And Merentiel is push, sacrifice and overflows, but he is not always close to the goal.
Defense, as has happened since it was promoted to First Division a decade ago, never shrinks. Play against Boca in the Bombonera, against River in the Monumental or against anyone, he imposes his game, his conditions and proposes matches in which the history or popularity of the clubs is reduced to that: a fact that has no basis in the game or in the way of standing.
He was also able to win it with a shot from Togni meters from the goal that collided with the legs of two Xeneizes defenders, with some situation involving Uvita Fernández and at 45 minutes of the second half, when Zenón crossed and avoided the visiting goal. Zenón, now that we name him, is a reinforcement – as is Lema – that La Bombonera has already accepted and embraced. In the absence of goals, it is at least good to know that the new players are not failing.
2024-02-11 07:04:29