Boca vs. Lanús: La Bombonera exploded for the first time against Riquelme and insulted the players and the board of directors.
Boca defeated Lanús on penalties, but the 90-minute draw at La Bombonera created a need among fans to vent the discontent that has been building up this year since the Copa Libertadores elimination before the regular season and the Superclásico defeat, among other urgent matters.
On a night filled with tension, the fans insulted for the first time the board of directors headed by Juan Román Riquelme , the former soccer idol who came to the leadership of Boca in December 2019 accompanying Jorge Amor Ameal and four years later won the election that made him president.
"The commission, the commission... go fuck yourself," thundered the Boca Juniors pitch as referee Leandro Rey Hilfer signaled the end of the match and called for penalties. The chant came from the stands as players from both teams prepared to take the penalties.
La Bombonera was a pressure cooker, and from the club's season-ticket holders' section, another rallying cry emerged, one that hadn't been heard in this stadium for quite some time and is a common one at other stadiums. "Oh, let them all go, let not one of them remain..." Tremendous.
The feeling was one of anger and exhaustion, but also confusion because Boca still had a chance to eliminate Lanús on penalties. It was the Xeneize fans who started a chant that served as a pall of mercy and a prelude to Marchesín's first save : "Go Boca, go Bo..." they chanted from the second set of boxes.
La Bombonera exploded in the run-up to the penalty shootout against Lanús and pointed the finger at "THE COMMISSION."
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Unfortunately for Lanús, Alexis Canelo was the one who calmed the mood: his shot into the arms of Boca's goalkeeper kicked off a series of penalties in which the home side had no time to get nervous. They were always on top and looked more comfortable, but then Dylan Aquino, who missed the crossbar, was the one who missed. And qualification was a foregone conclusion.
"LET THEM ALL GO" PLAYS IN THE BOMBONERA.
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Throughout the 90 minutes, Boca Juniors' match was one of constant suffering: at the end of the first half, the players were whistled off to the locker room. The 0-0 scoreline didn't sit well with the fans, who saw that the team had possession and made passes, but weren't hurting Lanús. Furthermore, they were struggling defensively.
As the minutes ticked by and penalties seemed inevitable, patience ran out as Lanús showed signs of getting dangerously close to Marchesin's goal.
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"Players, your motherfuckers; let's see if you can lay some balls, you don't play with anyone," were the most heartfelt verses of a chant that needs little explanation. A shot from Lucas Blondel, which would have gone in the corner if not for Nahuel Losada's save, changed the crowd's expression for a moment.
Because the end has arrived, with insults directed at the board of directors and a resurrection in the penalty shootout. In a week, on a date and time to be confirmed, this soap opera will have a second chapter, hosting Independiente, which could be Avellaneda or Independiente Rivadavia of Mendoza.
Clarin
