Sports · Football · 10 hrs ago
Boca Juniors beat Vasco 3-1 to reach the Copa Sudamericana final
Boca Juniors beat Vasco 3-1 at Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã on Tuesday, knocking the Brazilian club out of the Copa Sudamericana.
Vasco had won the first leg 1-0 in Buenos Aires, but Boca overturned that lead and advanced to the final.
Before the return match, Vasco captain Thiago Mendes had reposted an image showing the Boca badge being torn; he later deleted it and apologized.
After Boca's win, forward Angel Romero confronted Mendes, saying players should respect club shirts and Boca's history.
Mendes did not respond to the taunts, and Vasco players briefly became involved in a disturbance that was quickly stopped.
Mendes apologized to Vasco's fans, saying the team made mistakes and had not been alert enough at the start.
Vasco next host Corinthians on Saturday in the Brazilian league, then face Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil semifinals in early November.
Boca Juniors beat Vasco da Gama 3-1 in the Copa Sudamericana semifinal return leg and advanced to the final.
The match was played at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã on October 20.
Vasco had won the first leg 1-0 at Boca’s La Bombonera.
After the final whistle, Boca players confronted Vasco captain Thiago Mendes over a photo he had reposted showing the Boca badge being torn.
Mendes apologized, saying he had not intended to disrespect Boca, its history or its supporters.
- Who
- Boca Juniors and Vasco da Gama, with Boca advancing to the final.
- What
- Boca beat Vasco 3-1 in the Copa Sudamericana semifinal return leg.
- When
- October 20, 2026.
- Where
- Maracanã stadium, Rio de Janeiro.
- Why
- Boca overturned Vasco’s first-leg advantage to qualify for the final. The sources do not state why the match was played.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Vasco beat Boca 1-0 at La Bombonera in the semifinal first leg.
Mendes reposted a photo showing the Boca Juniors badge being torn, then deleted it and apologized.
Boca beat Vasco 3-1 at the Maracanã to advance to the final.
Boca players surrounded Mendes and taunted him over the photo.
- Return-leg score
- Boca Juniors 3-1 Vasco da Gama
- First-leg score
- Vasco da Gama 1-0 Boca Juniors
- Venue
- Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro
- Attendance
- More than 66,000
- Vasco captain
- Thiago Mendes
3 sources
What people are saying
He has to respect the shirt. Not just Boca’s, but any shirt has to be respected.
We had small mistakes and made errors that resulted in goals.
At no time did I intend to disrespect Boca Juniors, its history or its supporters.