Instituto lets slip a two-goal cushion twice, settles for 2-2 draw with Boca Juniors

Instituto went ahead of Boca Juniors twice, and twice it let the lead slip away. At the Estadio Presidente Perón, the match finished 2-2, with all four goals coming in the first 55 minutes and a scoreless final stretch that still produced chances for both sides. The result keeps Instituto at the top of Group A, though Boca Juniors picked up a point that keeps it within striking distance in the standings.

The home side broke the deadlock in the 13th minute: Fernando Alarcón popped up in the middle of the box and finished with his right foot, low and inside the left post, off a free kick. Boca Juniors answered quickly, in the 22nd minute, when Enner Valencia tapped in a close-range rebound after another foul to make it 1-1. That was the score at halftime, following a first half that went back and forth but produced no further goals.

The second half opened with another blow from Instituto. Just two minutes in, in the 47th minute, off a corner kick, Jonathan Galván finished point-blank with his right foot from the right side of the box, assisted by Leonel Mosevich, to make it 2-1. The lead didn't last long: in the 55th minute, with Miguel Merentiel freshly on the field, Boca Juniors drew level again. Merentiel latched onto a through ball from Lautaro Blanco and finished with his left foot, low and inside the left post, for the final 2-2.

From there, the match grew more cramped. Yellow cards went to Gustavo Abregú, Williams Alarcón, Malcom Braida, Alex Luna, Santiago Ascacíbar, Fernando Alarcón and Matías Gallardo, and both sides turned to their benches in search of a breakthrough that never came. Carlos Palacios and Ángel Romero tried their luck for Boca Juniors; Facundo Suárez and Hernán de la Fuente did the same for Instituto. Neither side could break the deadlock.

What the numbers say

Boca Juniors clearly controlled the ball, holding 69.2% of possession to Instituto's 30.8%, backed by a huge gap in passes completed, 547 to 232. Even so, Instituto was sharper in the penalty areas, finishing with more total shots, more corners and more big chances.

As for the xG calculated after the fact from the match's shots, Boca Juniors generated 1.696 compared to Instituto's 1.127, a number that backs up the sense that the visitors, despite playing on the counter for much of the match, still created enough danger to level the score twice.

What was expected before kickoff

The preview had Boca Juniors as the favorite, with a 49% chance of winning compared to 20% for Instituto and 31% for a draw, with expected goals of 1.38 for the visitors against 0.80 for the home side. The way the match played out matched that gap in class, Boca Juniors finished with more possession and more xG, but Instituto showed that efficiency and set pieces can trouble anyone: the home side was ahead twice on the scoreboard before the draw ended up being the fairest outcome.

What the result means

With this draw, Instituto stays in first place in Group A with 26 points, five clear of Boca Juniors, who sit second with 21. Both sides showed different ways of scoring: the home team through set pieces, with Alarcón's and Galván's goals coming from a free kick and a corner respectively; the visitors leaning on Valencia's individual talent and Merentiel's impact off the bench, scoring moments after stepping onto the field. A match that was even on the scoreboard, though lopsided in how the ball was shared.