Enner Valencia Misses Penalty as Boca Juniors Reach Copa Argentina Quarterfinals

Enner Valencia came close to becoming the costly miss in Boca Juniors’ Copa Argentina campaign, but Álvaro Montero rescued the team with two penalty saves.

Valencia entered the round-of-16 match against Vélez Sarsfield in the 61st minute after starting on the bench. The game finished 0-0 in regular time, sending the tie to a shootout. As Boca’s third taker, Valencia saw his attempt stopped by Vélez goalkeeper Tomás Marchiori, allowing the Liniers side to draw the shootout at 2-2.

Boca recovered through successful kicks from Lautaro Blanco, Kevin Zenón, Leonel Flores and Carlos Palacios. Montero then saved penalties from Elías Gómez and Thiago Silvero, while Dilan Godoy also missed for Vélez. Boca secured a 4-3 victory and progressed.

The match extended Valencia’s difficult start at his new club. He has played four matches for Boca without scoring, appearing against Lanús and Racing in the Clausura tournament and Deportivo Recoleta in the Copa Sudamericana. His last goal came for Pachuca on May 10, nearly four months earlier. He also failed to score in Ecuador’s 2026 World Cup matches in the group stage and round of 32.

Valencia’s next chance comes against Gimnasia y Esgrima de Mendoza in the Argentine Superliga Clausura on Sept. 5. Boca will then face São Paulo in the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals, hosting the first leg on Sept. 8 before the return match in Brazil on Sept. 15.