Boca Let Slip a Win Over Gimnasia in the Final Ten Minutes, Draws 2-2 in Mendoza

Boca had the match under control and let it slip away in the final ten minutes. The 2-2 draw against Gimnasia y Esgrima de Mendoza, in the Torneo Clausura, left more frustration than relief in the visiting locker room, and the head coach himself was the first to admit it.

Rodolfo Arruabarrena didn't look for excuses after the match. He was direct: his team had the result in hand and couldn't manage it. "We lost two points. In the last ten minutes, Gimnasia came at us and we couldn't stop those attacks. We couldn't control the tempo. We lost two important points that we needed, but that's how it is," explained Arruabarrena about the trip to Mendoza.

So what happened in those final minutes? According to the coach himself, Boca lost control of the rhythm right when it mattered most to slow things down. And that detail, he said, can't happen again. "It was an entertaining match with scoring chances for both sides. But in the final minutes we lost two important points. This has to be a lesson. We need to learn from it, we can't let it happen again," he added.

Valencia's First Full Match

Beyond the result, there was a notable detail worth following closely: Enner Valencia played his first 90 minutes in a Boca jersey. The Ecuadorian had been going through an adaptation process, and this was only his fifth match with the Xeneize, his third in the Clausura, in addition to his debut in the Copa Argentina and in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana.

Arruabarrena gave a measured assessment of his forward. No exaggerated praise, but no criticism either. "He completed 90 minutes. In my view, he had an acceptable performance and did what we asked of him," the coach replied when asked about the Ecuadorian's game.

The coach was also self-critical about how the team functioned around his attacker. He acknowledged that the team fell short in supporting him well enough for him to do more damage. "Maybe we needed to support him more in certain situations to create a bit more danger. It's 90 minutes after a long time out, and no doubt he suffered more in the last 15, but I remember two or three plays where he held his ground, which in my view were fouls. He tried to press and, honestly, I'm happy," Arruabarrena detailed.

He completed 90 minutes. In my view, he had an acceptable performance and did what we asked of him.Rodolfo Arruabarrena

The coach's message came through clearly on two different levels. On one hand, frustration over a result that slipped away in the closing stretch. On the other, a certain calm about Valencia's physical progress, as he starts to build up minutes and match fitness after a long stretch without regular action. Now, the challenge for Boca will be turning that self-criticism into results: the next matchday arrives as a new chance not to repeat the same mistake in the final stretch.