Confirmed: Boca goes against Independiente del Valle in the Sudamericana playoff and if Cruzeiro passes, wait :: Olé

The penalty missed by Darío Benedetto in the debut against Nacional Potosí that ended 0-0. The distraction in the last play against Fortaleza in La Bombonera when he went for the header in a corner and ended with the 1-1 in his own goal. Or the goals that were missing from the same Bolivian team in the last game of the group stage with all the support of the fans so that it was more than a 4-0. If you had been given any of those three results, Mouth They would be directly classified to the round of 16 or they would be playing in the playoff against much more accessible rivals. But it was not like that and this Saturday it was confirmed by the closure of Group C that will have to face Independiente del Valle at the height of Quito, in Ecuador. And to have revenge for that 2016 Copa Libertadores semi-final…

This tough rival fell to Boca because finished as fifth best second in the Sudamericana (behind Bragantino, Athletico Paranaense, Cuiabá and Universidad Católica) and will have to face the fourth best third of the Libertadores (below Huachipato, Rosario Central and Liga de Quito) in the aforementioned playoff to advance to the round of 16 where the Brazilian Cruzeiro awaits him.

Valley Independent comes from Group F that Palmeiras led with 14 points and that had San Lorenzo as a miraculous second with 8, after the rise with Romagnoli and getting a draw on the last date in Brazil. Obviously, the aspirations of the club that grew the most in the last decade and that has the Argentine Javier Gandolfi as coach were to continue in the Libertadores. And he will put strong opposition in this new confrontation with Xeneize.

The feelings in Quito are mixed. Since the last time they visited 2,850 meters above sea level in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Copa Libertadores and beat the League 3-0 to the round-trip defeat in the 2016 semifinal against Independiente del Valle.

The most recent, with an innovative strategy by Gustavo Alfarowho instead of basing himself on the plain of Guayaquil and traveling to the heights on the day of the match as most do, decided to go directly to the match headquarters after asking for references (among others, to the Flamengo coaching staff, who faced to League for the group stage) and understand that it was the best option.

And the previous one was that one with Guillermo Barros Schelotto that ended in elimination and left him without a final pass, after a 2-1 defeat there (they wrongly disallowed a goal when they were winning 1-0) and another 3-2 defeat like here. The consequence was the end of the cycle of several experienced players such as Agustín Orion, Cata Díaz and also the departure of Carlos Tevez to China.

Boca will then return after five years in search of a place in the round of 16, between the end of the Copa América and the start of the Olympic Games, in the weeks of July 17 and 24, first as a visitor and then as a local, because the club that comes from the Sudamericana has that advantage over the third from the Libertadores. Although the date is a disadvantage, because there will be some casualties of players who are in national teams.

The playoff promises sparks against another of the five clubs that won the Sudamericana twice, in addition to Independiente de Avellaneda, Paranaense and Liga. A true duel of champions. And also revenge. Or from Quito…