Boca draws 1-1 with Sao Paulo, advances to Copa Sudamericana semifinals

A draw that feels like glory. Boca visited Estadio Morumbi and a 1-1 result against Sao Paulo was enough to send them into the semifinals of the Copa Sudamericana. The tie finished level and the Xeneize remain alive in the international tournament, once again guided by a coach who seems to have a special gift for these situations.

The match had a bit of everything. Leandro Lozano put Vasco Arruabarrena's side ahead, but Sao Paulo responded on home turf and Domingos Duarte leveled the score for the hosts. The result, though, was enough for Boca to seal its spot in the next round.

The Vasco's stamp on knockout ties

If there's one thing that's become clear over the years, it's that knockout rounds suit Rodolfo Arruabarrena well. He had already shown as much during his first stint in charge of Boca, between 2014 and 2016, when he won the 2015 Primera Division title and the 2015 Copa Argentina. In that period, he had lost just three knockout series.

Ten years after leaving that first time, the Vasco returned to the bench and quickly picked up right where he left off. Since his comeback, Boca has eliminated Sarmiento de Junin and Velez in the Copa Argentina, and in the Copa Sudamericana it has knocked out O'Higgins, Recoleta and now Sao Paulo.

With this latest series win, the coach has reached an eye-catching number: 15 series won out of 18 played in charge of Boca. He has only fallen to River in the 2014 Sudamericana and the 2015 Libertadores, and to San Lorenzo in the 2015 Supercopa Argentina, which was actually played in early 2016. Three losses in total, nothing more, across nearly a decade of history between his two stints.

The qualification couldn't come at a better time. Boca is fighting on three fronts right now: it's still in contention in the 2026 Torneo Clausura, where it's chasing a playoff spot and points in the annual table; it's also in the Copa Argentina quarterfinals, where Racing awaits, and now this Sudamericana semifinal berth adds to the mix, with Vasco Da Gama as the next rival.

After the final whistle in Morumbi, the coach didn't hide what he felt about his team's achievement.

This group has something special for these kinds of games, you can tell they enjoy competing like this and that gives you a lot of peace of mind as a coach.Rodolfo Arruabarrena

With the series against Sao Paulo now closed out, the next challenge already has a name: Vasco Da Gama, in a semifinal that promises to add another chapter to the story that Boca and its coach have been writing match by match.