Boca played (perhaps) the best game of the Almirón era, but won thanks to a mistake by the Tigre goalkeeper

The request comes down from the rostrum because here, on the banks of the Riachuelo, there is an international obsession. “I want the Libertadores”, the fans sing, but they happily leave to the beat of the percussion of the popular. It’s not for less. Mouth they won the third game in a row on their home court and also in the Professional League. And it’s true that all the lights point to the Cup, but at home it adds victories. With a plus tonight against the Tiger: found a good performance. The result was not up to par. He should have dismissed him much earlier in order not to suffer a scare in the final, when they bet on a header that never came off, that of the striker Mateo Retegui.

Jorge Almirón had been dissatisfied with his trip to Colombia. Not just for the loss; Also, for some returns. And since the rope required a twist, the coach made some changes that made the team better. The midfield restructuring was key; also, the spearhead. And if the first half ends just one goal above the Tiger, it’s because they lacked more precision in the box.

It is true that he opened the game with an unforced error, ball that Gonzalo Marinelli missed incredibly. It was from Sebastián Villa’s corner that the goalkeeper wanted to keep, he gave an inexplicable rebound and Miguel Merentiel did not forgive.

The match hadn’t reached the quarter of an hour and Boca were ahead. Thanks to the opportunism of the Uruguayan and the dynamism of the team, compact in defense and ready to play. There was a good circuit at the start with Alan Varela and his two youth teams, Cristian Medina and Equi Fernández. The three boys put together a young midfield, with blood and good passing. They anticipated, they recovered, especially the internal flyers.

In this context, Villa’s work on the left was important, but above all that of Luis Advíncula as a right winger. The Peruvian starred in several comedies. But Merentiel was the most threatening footballer for Tigre. In addition to the goal, he had three clear ones. A shot from the crossbar and two headers in the same action show that Marinelli is a good goalkeeper. He hit two resounding slaps and Héctor Garay finished warding off danger in the line of the sentence.

The Boca was vastly superior to the Tigre, who joined Bombonera in a 4-4-2 formation, even with some modifications following the match played against Tolima in Victoria on Wednesday. He always ran after. And the best thing he produced was when he pressured Retegui, in particular. He had intensity, that’s undeniable, but he wasn’t creepy. Apart from some defensive lapses, Javier García has had no scares. Facundo Colidio appeared little, the outside flyers didn’t weigh in and he lost his uniforms.

In the second half, the trend has intensified. The mouth has maintained dominance. He recovered in between and it hurt. Diego Martínez moved the bench. Blas Armoa entered very active, but Sebastián Medina did not have the same tenor. Alexis Castro and Garay left the field. The Tigre coach has been trying to get more income from the sides, where Marcelo Weigandt and Frank Fabra are projected much better than they score.

However, the outlined plan did not come out. And Boca didn’t score the second because Merentiel made the wrong decision twice. First, in a play in which Fabra left him face to face with Marinelli, but he misdefined after dribbling past the goalkeeper. Later, he failed to connect a kicker from Luca Langoni.

Yes, the boy was already on the pitch after a long period of inactivity. Also, Martín Payero, who sacrificed himself in the fight in the center. The match was intense, but with few clear plays. In this situation, there were two situations to highlight and in both Aaron Molinas had to make. First, to shoot a free kick just wide. Later, for an infraction on Fabra that he should have been the second yellow. Nicolás Ramírez forgave him and Martínez, neither slow nor lazy, replaced him with Lucas Menossi.

In the 60th minute Colidio, the one who struggled the most despite his lack of clarity, scored a cross that Retegui was unable to deflect with a header. Tigre did not kick García’s goal. Boca have only scored once and as a result of a mistake. He reached to keep the three points. To put on an elegant display, he was there for the rest of the match. It was the eternal obligation. Win and like it. This time, he’s met both elements. More vigor was waiting.