Alan Velasco battled through a rough night against Sao Paulo and won over La Bombonera

There was a moment in the first half when Alan Velasco played a pass straight to an opponent instead of shooting on goal. La Bombonera groaned. It wasn't the first time something like that had happened since he arrived at Boca, and it wasn't the last awkward moment of a night that started uphill. But soccer has these strange twists: he ended up getting an ovation from the same fans who, two hours earlier, wouldn't even clap when his name was announced over the loudspeakers.

The 1-0 win over Sao Paulo in the Copa Sudamericana will be remembered, above all, as the night Velasco began to change the mood of a fan base that had been pushing back against him. And for good reason: Boca paid $10 million for his transfer, a figure that weighs on him every time the former Independiente man steps onto the field, and until now his performances hadn't matched that investment. Injuries, a lack of goals and games where he barely made an impact had chipped away at the fans' confidence in him.

Tomas Aranda's injury opened the door Velasco hadn't been able to find on his own. He started the match, playing almost like a winger, and through the first half he looked uncomfortable, glued to the right side, unable to link up with the forwards. Unforced errors, like that inexplicable pass to a Sao Paulo player, only raised the tension in the stands.

A different face in the second half

Everything changed after the break. Boca came out with a different attitude, looking to take control of the game, and that's when Velasco began to grow into it: more involvement, more movement, runs from the outside in that gave the team a different rhythm. As his individual game improved, so did the team's overall flow, with more directness and combinations that hadn't shown up earlier.

The reward came in the 84th minute, when Rodolfo Arruabarrena substituted him for Enner Valencia. That's when the applause rang out across La Bombonera. It might seem like a small gesture, but it can carry real weight for a player who needed exactly that: to feel the fans' trust.

"I'm grateful for the support from the Boca fans," Velasco admitted right after the final whistle, still riding the adrenaline of the win.

Arruabarrena, asked afterward about the ovation his midfielder received, was clear about what's still missing:

He has to keep working and try to keep improving, he can still give a lot more. All I can do is give him confidence, it's the players on the field who have to respond and Alan is doing well. He has room to improve. He still makes the occasional mistake and we have to keep pushing him.Rodolfo Arruabarrena

The coach also urged caution about the emotional boost a night like this can bring:

He's a kid who's hungry, who's got the drive, who wanted to turn the situation around, and I hope this applause doesn't go to his head too much either. He knows praise can be harmful. People see the effort, and afterward things can go well or badly, but that effort matters.Rodolfo Arruabarrena

Boca needs a loose, confident version of Velasco. Last night was just a glimpse of that, but it was enough to start breaking the ice with the fans.