Boca Juniors beat São Paulo SP 1-0 in the Copa Sul-Americana, a single second-half goal from Miguel Merentiel settling a tight night in which the visitors had a late effort ruled out.

Match Summary

For 45 minutes the contest refused to tilt. Boca Juniors, at Estadio Alberto J. Armando, and São Paulo SP both looked for an opening without taking one, and the interval arrived with the score still 0-0.

The picture changed soon after the restart. Miguel Merentiel scored in the 52nd minute for Boca Juniors, and the home side had a lead to protect. From there the match became a question of whether São Paulo SP could answer. They kept looking for a way back, yet they could not put a legal goal on the board.

Their best chance to do so came in the 76th minute, when Domingos Duarte had the ball in the net. The goal was cancelled and did not count. Boca Juniors then saw out the remaining minutes and kept the official result at 1-0.

Key Moments

Merentiel's finish was the night's hinge because nothing else officially counted. Boca Juniors did not add a second, and they did not need one.

The cancelled strike from Domingos Duarte was the swing that never landed. For a moment São Paulo SP looked set to make it 1-1. Once the goal was wiped away, the visitors still needed a late equalizer and did not get one.

After that decision, the remaining minutes were about whether São Paulo SP could find another way through. They could not. Boca Juniors kept the lead intact until the end.

Match Statistics

Possession finished 51 percent for Boca Juniors and 49 percent for São Paulo SP, underlining how little separated them. The home side took 11 shots to eight, yet São Paulo SP put three on target compared with two for Boca Juniors. Corners went 4-2 to Boca Juniors. There was one yellow card on each side and no red cards.

What the Result Means

São Paulo sit first in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana with 12 points from six matches and a goal difference of five. In their last five they have two wins and three draws.

See also

• Boca Juniors vs São Paulo SP live score
• AltBets live scores
• AltBets tips
• Match recaps