he BocaJuniors players’ shirts
carried a simple message: “The
Copa del10 is staying at home,” it
read as they celebrated lifting the
Copa Diego Armando Maradona.
There could be no more fitting
champion of the competition, played in tribute toEl
Diez,than Boca. The club is an integral part of the
Maradona mythology. The doors to the Bombonera
became one of the shrines to Maradona in the days
after he suffered heart failure in November.
So the jubilant celebrations were tinged with
emotion after a nervy final. Boca overcame Banfield
in a drab clash. Colombian Edwin Cardona’s fabulous
strike was the only difference between the two sides
well into time added on, when Banfield’s Luciano
Lollo produced a dramatic equaliser, taking the tie
to penalties.
Yet when right-backJulio Buffarini converted the
winning spot-kick, there was a greater sense of relief
than of glory. While it is Boca’s second domestic titleFridayJanuary 1
ENGLAND:Manchester United go
level on points with Liverpool at
the top of the Premier League
with a 2-1 win against Aston Villa.
Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink returns
to Burton Albion as manager.
JAPAN:Kawasaki Frontale begin
2021 by beating Gamba Osaka
1-0 to lift the Emperor’s Cup at
the Tokyo National Stadium.
CHINA:Shanghai SIPG name
Croatian Ivan Leko as head coach.
SaturdayJanuary 2
SCOTLAND:Rangers move19
points clear of Celtic with a1-0 win.
SPAIN:Real Madrid go top of La
Liga by beating Celta Vigo 2-0.
SundayJanuary 3
SPAIN:Kieran Trippier’s suspension
for gambling breaches is paused
while Atletico Madrid appeal. The
club regain top spot with a 2-1 win
at Alaves, thanks to a 90th-minute
winner by Luis Suarez.
ENGLAND:Fulham’s fixture with
Burnley is postponed by COVID.
Elsewhere, Chelsea lose 3-1 to
Manchester City, who go fifth.
GERMANY:In a seven-goal thriller,
Bayern Munich recover from going
two goals down to beat Mainz 5-2.
MondayJanuary 4
SPAIN:Athletic Bilbao confirm
Marcelino as their new head coach.
PORTUGAL: Third-tier Olhanense
appoint Edgar Davids as coach.
FRANCE:Toulouse terminate the
contract of forward Adil Taoui.
JAPAN:FC Tokyo win theJ.League
Cup, beating Kashiwa Reysol 2-1.
TuesdayJanuary 5
ENGLAND:Tottenham reach the
Carabao Cup final with a 2-0 win
over Championship side Brentford.
AUSTRALIA:Former Cardiff City
midfielderJordon Mutch joins
Western Sydney Wanderers.
JORDAN:Al Wehdat defeat Al
Jazeera1-0 to win their17th
Jordanian Pro League title.
WednesdayJanuary 6
SPAIN:Third-tier Cornella stun
Atletico Madrid with a1-0 win in
the Copa del Rey. Meanwhile,A fitting tribute
Boca Juniors win the Copa Maradona
Argentina
JOEL RICHARDSWinners...Boca
players celebrate
winning the trophyT
in12 months, this was a consolation prize.
Since winning the league title in March 2020, the
club has focused on the Copa Libertadores. Coach
Miguel Angel Russo was brought back to the club
in early 2020, largely to attempt to replicate his
success from 2007, when he guided Boca to lift
the trophy, the last time theXeneizehave done so.
After six months without playing a single game
during the worst of the pandemic in South America,
Boca then eased through the remainder of the
group phase and through the knockout rounds
to the semi-final.
The week before facing Banfield, Russo’s side
travelled to Brazil for the return leg against Santos.
The first leg in Buenos Aires had ended goalless. The
clues were perhaps there to see, but the result in
the second leg was still staggering. Boca’s attack was
blunt and its defence careless. Santos steamrollered
their way to the final, defeating the Argentines 3-0.
It was the manner in which Boca capitulated, with
little ambition or imagination, plus ill-disciplineGlobal diary
Stories from the four corners
of the football worldJANUARY 1-JANUARY 29, 2021