Boca Juniors are officially the first finalists for the Copa Sul-Americana 2026, and man, it stings for Vasco. They came into Tuesday night at a Maracanã absolutely buzzing with 66,026 fans, hoping to break a nearly 26-year curse and reach an international tournament final. Instead, they got absolutely rocked 3-1 by Boca in the second leg of the semi-final, losing 3-2 on aggregate. Just brutal.
First Half Fizzle, Second Half Fight…
The dream scenario for Boca hit before the fourth minute. You could practically feel the nerves from Vasco even before it happened, and they only grew after. Blanco whipped in a corner, and Di Lollo just rose above Sosa to head it home. Talk about an early gut punch! Vasco had players like Adson and Bruno Duarte going for the same ball, showing that early game chaos. They did manage to create some chances before the break, but the accuracy just wasn’t there. And guess what? Accuracy was *plenty* at the other end. Another individual error, and Merentiel found the net in the 34th minute, putting Boca ahead on aggregate. Honestly, several players under Pedro Emanuel just looked lost out there. Boca, clinical as ever, showed no mercy at all.
…Then the Ultimate Heartbreak
Vasco came out for the second half like a completely different team, bringing on Marino and Brenner. They looked ready to overwhelm Boca, and for a bit, it worked! Boca actually started struggling without the ball. Pedro Emanuel made his third substitute, Puma Rodríguez, and the guy delivered, finishing off a beautiful team move in the 66th minute to pull Vasco right back into the tie. The energy was electric, you could feel it. But then, the absolute killer. Eleven days earlier, a midfielder who won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina had suffered a grade 2 injury and made a remarkable recovery to come on in the second half. He’d been quiet, but fate, or whatever you want to call it, put him in the spotlight. He tried his luck, the ball swerved, and Léo Jardim just let it in during the 88th minute. That was Boca’s ONLY chance of the entire second half, and it was enough. Vasco kept fighting, desperate to force a penalty shootout, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
What’s Next for Vasco? And Boca’s Road Ahead?
For Vasco, that dream of an international final is done. They were fighting on three fronts, but now it’s all about the battle against relegation in the Brasileirão and the Copa do Brasil semi-finals. They face Corinthians at São Januário on Saturday (24). Vasco, with a game in hand, sits 15th with 35 points, while Corinthians is 16th with 33 points and hasn’t won a league game in nine outings. That’s a huge, huge match right there to stay out of the drop zone. Meanwhile, Boca Juniors will be waiting for either Montevideo City Torque or Atlético Mineiro in the final. Atlético holds a commanding 3-0 lead after the first leg, with their second leg kicking off on Wednesday (21) at 7pm Brasília time. So, Boca gets to prep for the final, while Vasco has to pick themselves up for a fight to survive in the league. Tough break, truly.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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