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Boca Beats River 2–0 at La Bombonera to Seal 2026 Libertadores Berth

River’s slide now threatens its direct continental route despite Marcelo Gallardo’s renewed deal.

Overview

  • Exequiel Zeballos scored on the stroke of halftime and Miguel Merentiel added another just after the break to decide the Superclásico.
  • A penalty initially awarded to Boca was overturned after referee Nicolás Ramírez reviewed the play on the VAR monitor.
  • The win locks Boca into the 2026 Copa Libertadores group stage, puts it atop Zone A and confirms its place in the playoffs.
  • River remains sixth in Zone B with 21 points and risks being overtaken in the annual table by Argentinos Juniors or Deportivo Riestra in the remaining fixtures.
  • Buenos Aires mounted a large security operation of more than 1,000 personnel for the match with entry checks that included the RDAM registry of child-support debtors.