Independiente celebrated like in the old glory days and Boca hit rock bottom: Vaccari's team eliminated Xeneize at La Bombonera and are semi-finalists in the Apertura Tournament.

The images of the blue and gold shipwreck contrast sharply with the happiness of that group of red players. In the stands, the fans vent their anger. It's a remake of the match against Lanús, but there isn't even a release in the penalty shootout. Boca's defeat, Independiente's great triumph, gives way to a deluge of whistles . Insults also flow against "the Commission," a decorous way of avoiding direct blame for Juan Román Riquelme 's so many glorious nights with the number "10" on his back. Even so, it's a clear message to the president who tarnished the poster with deplorable results. And if the wound in the Libertadores was difficult to heal, the elimination from the Apertura Tournament added to the pain.

Once again, the barra brava seemed oblivious to the situation , celebrating a birthday as the rest of the crowd left in disgust and disappointment. Much had been said beforehand about the back-and-forth between the fans and the stalls, who were carrying strong emotions after the defeat in the Superclásico that abruptly ended Fernando Gago's tenure. The fans understood that they needed to change their mindset. And the banner that was visible at the entrance of Aristóbulo del Valle and Irala sent a message from above to the faithful entering La Bombonera. " All together always ," it read. It seemed like a mantra that transformed into encouragement behind closed doors.

Boca Juniors seemed to be influenced by the surroundings, showing great aggressiveness in the opening minutes against an opponent who usually takes possession. From their forwards to their midfielders, they stifled the attackers' opening defenses. They played more directly in a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Milton Delgado standing out as the center of attack, but Miguel Merentiel was their most dangerous weapon.

And he almost opened it quickly thanks to a change of front by Lautaro Blanco , a cross back by Carlos Palacios and a shot by Merentiel that found a great response from Rodrigo Rey.

Independiente then began to control the game , just after that shock. They have highly versatile players. Especially Kevin Lomónaco, a central defender with a European conception . His personality allows him to drive the ball for 40 meters, joining in the build-up like a midfielder, sometimes overshadowing Luciano Cabral, the true "10." He has many resources and even triangulated down the right or sent dangerous crosses into Agustín Marchesín's box.

Boca, however, had the clearest chances because Independiente was closing the gap . Merentiel was caught offside by a mere inch just as he was one-on-one with Rey and shot across goal. VAR didn't require any guidance. Pablo Acevedo was right to raise his flag. Later, the Uruguayan was one-on-one again, but the Santa Fe goalkeeper beat him with his legs. This time, none was clearer than the one Palacios missed five minutes from the end of the first half, when Merentiel himself cut in down the right and left the Chilean facing the goal . From below the goal, on the run, he shot wide. People in the stands clutched their heads. They couldn't believe it.

Independiente dominated possession and had more of the ball, but lacked opportunities to worry Marchesín. Sebastián Valdez's header from a corner ended up between the goalkeeper's gloves, and Felipe Loyola's cross was blocked by Matías Giménez, who couldn't comfortably handle the ball against the number one and Delgado.

The match was incited by some shoving between Cabral and Milton Giménez. The fans were fired up. And in the second half, they gave him a boost right from the start. Then, Herrón began to shake up the bench, and his first substitutions were two veterans who had been recovering for a month: Ander Herrera (35) and Edinson Cavani (38), to replace the faded Tomás Belmonte and Milton Giménez.

Julio Vaccari then responded by bringing on Diego Tarzia in place of Lautaro Millán, a winger for a creative player, who helped mark the ball down the left flank. This allowed Álvaro Angulo to be released . And on his first attempt, the Colombian scored. It was from a corner kick and a rebound that Merentiel, with his back turned, couldn't control because La Pantera anticipated him. The rest was a stroke of genius, as he faced the ball with control and unleashed a devastating left-footed shot.

BLACK PANTHER'S GREAT GOAL: Angulo scored Independiente's 1-0 against Boca.

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Immediately, the "move, xeneize, move" began, with tension and more substitutions. Kevin Zenón, who had started on the left and played the entire second half on the right without any influence, left the field to whistles and Exequiel Zeballos came on, running but not creating a goal-scoring opportunity.

Vaccari sent Fernández Cedrés and Pablo Galdames onto the pitch. Herrón brought out his best player, Delgado. Alan Velasco demonstrated that his level is so low that he couldn't even intimidate with the "Ley del Ex" (The Law of the Former). Opposite, Independiente showed personality. Lomónaco was extraordinary, Marcone was a leader in the middle, and they displayed enormous collective commitment.

Independiente celebrated, having been owed a match of this magnitude. They'll play the semi-final against Huracán and see a chance to end the cursed domestic streak that has plagued them since 2002. Boca finished with crosses for Marchesín. Yes, for their own goalkeeper. A testament to their footballing collapse.