Boca-San Lorenzo: when the ‘Ciclón’ was born and what is the story before the League Cup classic

In every edition of the classic between Mouth AND Saint Lawrencelike this Saturday for the Professional League Cup (5pm, at La Bombonera), Discussions on paternity, numbers and temporality are renewed. Pure football folklore. “We played so many games! We have to count everything! We only have to take one phase into account! What matters is only the Primera tournament!”. The statements and arguments, generally lacking historical rigor, multiply. There is one certainty, however: The Cyclone has a strong influence on the Xeneize. But, when exactly did it start?

Boca was founded on 3 April 1905, registered with the Football Federation in 1908 and began playing in the First Division in 1913. San Lorenzo was officially born on 1 April 1908, registered in 1914 and debuted in the top division in 1915. That year they met for the first time.

On Sunday 7 November, on the pitch that Boca had with Wilde, the local team won 5-0, with this curiosity: three of the five goals were conceded, two by the central defender Alberto Coll and one by his brother José (goalkeeper) – both re-founders of the club in 1914-. Francisco Tagino and Alberto Galeano scored the others.

In those founding years, Boca’s superiority was overwhelming: they won 8 of their first 11 matches and lost just one. Furthermore, they won the five games played at home, the one in Wilde, at Dársena, in Ferro, in River (Alvear and Tagle) and in the current ownership, but when it was made of wood. San Lorenzo’s only victory was 1-0 on 8 September 1929 at the Gasómetro, with a goal from Arturo Arrieta.

The announcement in the newspaper La Argentina that day reads: “A couple of extraordinary matches serve as the basis for the program of matches in the first division A. Supported are San Lorenzo and FC Oeste, who will host Boca Juniors and Independiente on their pitches respectively. Of these, the one that will take place in Avenida La Plata 1768 is the one that has aroused the greatest interest among the fans, because both opponents, who lead the positions, remain undefeated and have very respectable forces. To the sum of the prestige they have achieved in previous competitions and the importance it will play in the future of their campaigns…”

The following day, in the report of the 1-0, the newspaper underlines that there were around 40 thousand people in the stadium. “At 3pm, according to what was reported by the club’s local authorities, 28,000 tickets had been sold for the popular stand and 6,000 for the official one.”. Nearly 30 years after their foundation, both Boca and San Lorenzo were already two of the most popular clubs in Buenos Aires football.

In 1931, when professionalism began, San Lorenzo had more than 15,000 members and was, together with River, the club with the largest number of members in the new Argentine football league. Precisely these three, plus those of Avellaneda (Racing and Independiente), managed to have three votes starting from 1937 in the decisions of the AFA Executive Committee. To implement qualified or proportional voting, three issues were taken into account: 20 years in the First Division, more than one title and more than 15,000 members. From then on the nickname of the big five was born. It is absurd to start telling the story in 1931.

In 1940, San Lorenzo began to reverse history with Boca. In the first professional decade (1931-40), there were 8 holy triumphs (one for a national cup) and 7 xeneizes. And in total, after 33 games, Boca has achieved 15 victories against Ciclón’s 9. After a new decade (1941-50), the lead had narrowed considerably. After 55 classics, the difference was just three: 22 victories against 19.

It was in the 1950s that San Lorenzo began to strengthen his paternityafter five consecutive victories: 1-0 in 1951, two 2-1 in 1952, 1-0 and 2-1 in 1953. For the first time they were ahead: 24 to 23. In 1957, Boca regained the lead, 28 to 25, but in 1959, with five more victories but in six games, Boedo’s team went up 30 to 29. It was November 22, 1959, in the victory at the Gasómetro 2 to 1.

Since then San Lorenzo has never again gone down in history with Boca. At that time the media was already talking about paternity, at least that’s what was published Clarion on 9 September 1968: “The paternity that San Lorenzo de Almagro maintained with Boca Juniors continued both in the Gasómetro and in the Bombonera.” In fact, in 1972 he had a nine-game lead: 43 wins to 34.

Three years later, the sports supplement Clarion on 13 October 1975 it was titled: “San Lorenzo returned to fatherhood”. However, in 1987 Xeneize managed to tie the classic with 50 victories. And San Lorenzo immediately took the lead again after the 1-0 win on 12 October 1987, with a header from Darío Siviski.

Thus we arrive at the 21st century and after two decades of competition, San Lorenzo maintains an 8 game advantage over its classic rival. Since 1915 they have played 211 matches, with 83 victories, 75 xeneizes, another 52 draws and one match in which both surrendered (that of 14 December 1990 in La Bombonera, the day Saturnino Cabrera was murdered). Of the 211 matches, 202 are in the league (77 to 73), 5 in national cups, like the one on Saturday (3 to 1) and 4 in international cups (3 to 1).

Moreover, San Lorenzo is the club with the highest number of away victories against Boca, in their entire history (31 out of 93) and at the Bombonera since its inauguration on 25 May 1940 (24 out of 74). Second is River, who have played 104 games on Boca’s current pitch and won 22 times. A champion of the Cyclone’s high average, in which he always imposes his paternity. A fatherhood built over the years.

What if only professionalism counted? For those who capriciously carve out history, blinded by fanaticism, the numbers are obviously more in their favor. The lead is 15 games (82 to 67 out of 200 games). But nothing changes. Parenting doesn’t change. It’s strong, it’s powerful, it’s history.