Boca Juniors and Atlético Mineiro Meet Again in a Final, Five Years After That Libertadores Scandal

Five years later, fate has once again brought together the two protagonists of that fiery chapter. Boca Juniors and Atlético Mineiro will face off again, but this time in a final: the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, set for November 21 in Barranquilla and available to watch on Disney+ Premium (South America only). The announcement inevitably reopened memories of a series that still stings in La Ribera.

You have to go back to the round of 16 of the 2021 Copa Libertadores to understand why this matchup carries so much weight beyond the soccer itself. That tie left locker room fights, an official statement from Boca against CONMEBOL, and lines from Juan Román Riquelme, the club's vice president at the time, that are still repeated today.

The first leg at La Bombonera: the first disallowed goal

It all started with a 0-0 draw at Boca's stadium, played behind closed doors because of the pandemic. The score didn't fully reflect what happened on the field: in the 35th minute, after a cross from Weigandt and a short clearance from the defense, "Pulpo" González won position inside the box and headed the ball over Everson. Boca celebrated, but referee Andrés Rojas, backed by the VAR, disallowed the goal for a prior foul by the midfielder. Boca was the better side that night, but couldn't turn it into a result on the scoreboard, and traveled to Brazil with everything still to be decided.

The return leg in Belo Horizonte: from a disallowed goal to a police station

If the first leg left controversy, the rematch in Minas Gerais was an outright scandal. The match ended 0-0 and Mineiro advanced on penalties, but what happened before and after the final whistle is what stuck in everyone's memory. In the 62nd minute, a free kick from Sebastián Villa (now on Boca's roster) led to a confused scramble involving Everson, who couldn't control the ball. Weigandt pounced on the rebound and scored to make it 1-0. Referee Andrés Ostojich went to the VAR, reviewed a razor thin offside call against "Pulpo" González on the goalkeeper, and ended up disallowing the goal.

With tempers already flaring, even the substitutes from both teams clashed while the referee reviewed the play. In the penalty shootout, Galo prevailed 3-1 and sealed its spot in the next round.

The worst of it came afterward, in the locker rooms. A brawl broke out between the two squads in which, according to accusations at the time, even Mineiro president Sergio Coelho threw water bottles at Boca's players. Brazilian police had to step in, and players including Zambrano and Villa had to stay behind at a police station to give statements over damage caused at the Mineirão. The entire squad chose to stay with them out of solidarity.

If the two of them stay, we all stay. We go all together or not at all.Miguel Ángel Russo

Boca also released a scathing statement against CONMEBOL, denouncing what it called "biased handling" of the continental competition and claiming the club had been harmed "by decisions that have little to do with what happens on the field."

Riquelme, for his part, was the most direct, in comments to ESPN that are still remembered today.

Boca won both matches and still got knocked out of the tournament. Next time we'll have to score five goals and see if that's enough to advance in this competition.Juan Román Riquelme

Riquelme also closed with harsh words, calling it a "disgrace" and a competition run without seriousness, recalling the images of Mineiro's president throwing bottles and the tear gas that, as he described it, the players were subjected to.

Now, five years later, that unfinished story gets a new chapter, this time with a trophy on the line and on neutral ground in Colombia.