WORLD SERVICEleaving them with ten men, which sent shockwaves
through the club.
“We weren’t even competitive,” said forward
Eduardo Salvio, just one of the many players
who could now leave. As the quest for a seventh
Libertadores title continues, the opinions of players
from Boca’s successful 2000s team take on
ever-greater importance.“The players didn’t show character,” said
Chicho Serna, a midfielder from the golden 2000s
era. Former goalkeeper Oscar Cordoba even told
Argentine media he wanted Boca to play more like
River Plate.
Much was made of how both Boca and River
reached the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores for
the third consecutive year, a rare feat for any club in
the competition.
Yet while River redeemed the club’s image with a
proud attempt to claw back from their disastrous 3-0
defeat in the first leg with Palmeiras, despite failing to
do so, Boca were simply outplayed by Santos. There
was all the more pressure on the side to win the
Copa Maradona to put that defeat behind them.The Copa Maradona was designed to fill a gap
in the calendar for first division sides. The league
ended in March 2020, and the scheduled Copa
Superliga was cut short by the pandemic.
In the magical realism of Argentine football
administration, ever since the Argentine FA
expanded the first division to 30 teams in 2015 (it is
now down to 24) the authorities have wrestled with
organising league and cup competitions to fill the
calendar. The result is that the domestic game is a
labyrinth of competitions containing zones, groups,
phases, play-offs and finals.
Boca finished top of a group featuring River Plate,
who for the first time in seven years under Marcelo
Gallardo went without winning a trophy or even
playing a final.
In the other group that played for a place in
the final, Banfield were the tournament’s surprise.
Only seven players in the 28-man squad are not
homegrown. A team filled with youth academy
players caught the eye and the imagination. Giuliano
Galoppo was arguably the standout – and revelatory- player of the competition, with five goals for the
21-year-old midfielder.
With just two official titles to their name, reaching
the final and pushing Boca to penalties was a strong
endorsement of Banfield’s model that invests in its
youth system and gives those players the opportunity
to prove themselves in the first team.
Many other sides fared less favourably. The other
three members of the “Big Five”, Independiente,
Racing and San Lorenzo, all sacked their coaches.
In total, nine coaches lost their jobs during or after
the Copa Maradona.
While some clubs like Independiente sought
experienced coaches to go forward, others placed
their faith in debutants. Former BocaJuniors, Real
Madrid and Roma midfielder Fernando Gago starts
out as a coach with modest outfit Aldosivi.
Gago may soon find himself in the opposing
dugout to a former team-mate. Carlos Tevez
watched the final of Boca against Banfield from
the sidelines, not starting due to personal reasons.
Yet Boca’s victory increased his personal trophy haul
to 29, level with Lucho Gonzalez and only behind
Lionel Messi (36), as the most decorated Argentine
still in action. He had been rumoured to be close to
retiring, but while the Apache said he’ll play on this
year, he also confirmed that he has started his
coach’s course.
While it is Boca’s second domestic
title in 12 months, this was a
consolation prizeStunner...Edwin Cardona celebrates his thunderous opening goalLast minute...
Banfield celebrate
their late equaliser
Copa Maradona...the trophy was created in honour of the late
greatEl Diez