São Paulo just dropped the first leg of their 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana quarterfinals, falling 1-0 to Boca Juniors on Tuesday night at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires. Merentiel bagged the lone goal for the Argentine side, putting Tricolor in a tough spot heading into the return leg. This one stings because São Paulo had chances, man, they really did, and letting Boca get that clean sheet at home changes everything.
First Half Frustration: So Close, Yet So Far
The first half was a real back-and-forth, with both teams looking for an opening. In the 11th minute, Luciano got a pass from Marcos Antonio and ripped off a dangerous shot, but the Boca defense was right there to block it. Just five minutes later, São Paulo had their absolute best look of the entire first half. Iago delivered a dime of a cross, and Luciano headed it right on target, forcing a seriously good save from the goalkeeper. You just knew that could have been the difference maker. Then, at the 30-minute mark, Luciano threaded a pass through to Iago on the left, who sent in a low cross, only for Calleri to shoot it wide. All that effort, all those opportunities, and the scoreboard stayed locked. You could feel the air go out of the stadium, even on the stream.
Merentiel Delivers the Gut Punch in the Second Half
Boca Juniors wasted no time after the break, with Merentiel opening the scoring in just the 6th minute of the second half. Talk about a gut punch after São Paulo’s missed chances in the first. São Paulo kept pushing, though. In the 16th minute, Artur whipped a cross to the far post, Sabino challenged hard in the air, and Domingos Duarte got a shot away, but the keeper was once again in the right place to make the save. Later, in the 35th minute, Iago set up Gustavo Santana with a cross for a header at the near post, but the ball just sailed out for a goal kick. The chances were there, but that final touch, that clinical finish, just wasn’t.
Now, São Paulo has a quick turnaround, facing Palmeiras this Saturday (the 12th) at 6:30 p.m. at Nubank Parque in the 27th round of the Brasileirão. But the big one, the make-or-break moment for their Sudamericana hopes, is the return leg against Boca Juniors. That’s next Tuesday (the 15th) at 9:30 p.m. at MorumBIS. They absolutely have to bring it in front of their home crowd. This is everything.
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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