Boca Juniors, the pre-match favorite, beat Vasco da Gama RJ 1-3 in the Copa Sul-Americana, taking charge in the first half and answering a home revival with a late goal. Lautaro Di Lollo and Miguel Merentiel put the visitors two up by the break, Vasco da Gama RJ pulled one back, and Boca added a third when the hosts still had time to push.

Match Summary

The visitors needed only a few minutes to set the tone at Estadio Jornalista Mário Filho (Maracanã). Lautaro Di Lollo had Boca Juniors in front after four minutes, and Lautaro Blanco was the provider. Vasco, in a 4-1-4-1, could not find an early reply against Boca's 4-2-3-1, and Miguel Merentiel made it two in the 34th minute. Thiago Mendes was booked for Vasco da Gama RJ before the interval, leaving the home side two down at half-time.

The second half brought the response Vasco needed to stay in the contest. They scored in the 66th minute, though the scorer was not listed in match data, and the deficit was suddenly a single goal. Boca Juniors were then shown a yellow card in the 74th minute. The visitors struck again in the 88th minute, and that scorer was also not listed in match data. Alan Velasco was cautioned in the second minute of added time as Boca closed out the result.

Key Moments

Boca's first-half scoring burst mattered because it forced Vasco to chase at home and left little margin for a slow start. The home goal after the hour turned a two-goal away lead into a one-goal game and put pressure on Boca to manage the closing stages. The late third goal then removed the chance of a frantic finish. Discipline never boiled over into a red card, so the outcome stayed a matter of those scoring spells rather than a sending-off.

Match Statistics

The numbers were tight and quiet in attack. Possession finished 51 percent for Vasco da Gama RJ and 49 percent for Boca Juniors, with corners split five apiece. Each side recorded two shots, yet Vasco had none on target while Boca managed one. Expected goals were 0.09 for the hosts and 0.17 for the visitors, in keeping with a match of few clear chances. Vasco collected one yellow card and Boca two. There were no red cards.

See also

• Vasco da Gama RJ vs Boca Juniors live score
• AltBets live scores
• AltBets tips
• Match recaps