Boca keep their run going, survive Vélez and advance in Copa Argentina

Boca Juniors have grown accustomed to suffering, and now they are learning how to win through it. Five days after beating Lanús in the fourth minute of added time, Boca again went to the edge against Vélez Sarsfield.

Vélez won a late penalty, but fortune favored Boca in Córdoba. After a 0-0 draw, Boca prevailed in the shootout and reached the Copa Argentina quarterfinals, where Racing await. The result also avenged Boca’s 4-3 semifinal defeat by Vélez in 2024, played at the same venue.

Álvaro Montero was again Boca’s decisive figure. The goalkeeper had kept the team alive with a late save in the previous match, and this time he stopped penalties from Elías Gómez and Thiago Silvero. Facing his former club, Montero recovered from an uncertain start and responded when Boca needed him most.

Boca could have won during the 90 minutes. The team created the better chances and looked slightly superior, although the match began as a closed, scrappy contest with few ideas in attack. Its clearest opportunities came after Vélez lost possession near its own penalty area, including a low effort from Tomás Belmonte, an own-goal header that forced a reflex save, and Belmonte’s miss over the bar with most of the goal open. The victory keeps Boca moving, but once again only after a tense route.