2024-03-23 12:08:06
Boca Juniors tied without goals as a visitor to Platensein Vicente López, for the opening date of zone B of the Professional League Cup (LPF), in what represented an opaque official premiere of Diego Martinez as coach of ‘Xeneize’.
The match, throughout almost 96 minutes at the Ciudad de Vicente López stadium, traveled through the lanes of friction and imprecision. And in that context, the local team moved better and even – at times – was superior to the opponent who, due to names and history, appears as one of the potential candidates to win the title.
The performances that the Auriazul team had exhibited in the three preseason matches were not repeated today in Vicente López.
Photo: Cris Sille.
The best of Boca was at the feet of the admitted Kevin Zenonan addition from Unión de Santa Fe who moved from the left when he entered for Juan Ramírez and combined the most dangerous actions that the visitor exhibited in the match.
There was also a careful premiere of the other new face of the Boca cast, the defender Cristian Lemawho never got complicated and disaffected any potential dangerous maneuver by the ‘Squid’.
Platense worked the game from the opening minute, with projections from the wing. Raul Lozanothe balance in the middle of Iván Gómez and the eventual disconnections of Lucas Ocampo (the best of the first half) on the offensive side.
El DT Sebastian Grazzini He put together a line of five, which became three net defenders, because both Ciro Rius and Lozano thought more about sending themselves through their respective sectors than about defending the attacks of a Boca that was surprised at the start.
In fact, two Rius overflows were connected by Ignacio Vázquez and the Paraguayan Ronaldo Martínez, which led to good responses from Sergio ‘Chiquito’ Romero.
In those 45m. Initially, Diego Martínez’s team repeated vices of Jorge Almirón DT’s: lack of ideas, little combativeness in the middle and little surprise in offensive matters.
Photo: Cris Sille.
In the central area, Guillermo Fernandez, the Colombian Jorman Campuzano and the ‘recovered’ Juan Ramírez did not weigh in. And Ezequiel Bullaude, in his role as generator, stayed away from the wheels and never found the spaces to connect with either Luca Langoni or MIguel Merentiel.
The visitor’s only clear shot came at 14m, with a shot by the Peruvian Advíncula, after an overflow by the Colombian Fabra, on the left. The shot was contained in two moments by goalkeeper Cozzani.
In the second half, Boca improved slightly with the arrivals of Edinson Cavani and Zenón, mainly. But he also lacked depth and serenity to frequently disturb the rival goal, in addition to the fact that he no longer had any surprises.
The match became a little more emotional, but it did not escape the general mediocrity of two teams that exhibited the vices of poor shooting and that still need to improve their performance.
Boca will face Sarmiento de Junín on Thursday, on the San Lorenzo court, while Platense will visit Defensa y Justicia on Wednesday, in Florencio Varela.
By: Telam