Boca and River disappoint fans just a week before Superclásico

The two biggest clubs in Argentina failed to win their last games before the key fixture

Superclasico rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate both disappointed this Sunday, leaving fans hoping their teams can pick up the pace next weekend.

The two biggest clubs in Argentina were eager for a solid win in their last game before this weekend’s derby, scheduled for Sunday 25 at 5 p.m. in River’s Monumental stadium. But neither could build any momentum: Boca fell 2-1 away at Lanús while River could only rescue a late 1-1 draw at home against Banfield.

In the Banfield match, River was looking to keep the top spot in their Copa de la Liga group. The side coached by Martín Demichelis was superior to its rival, keeping possession and creating plenty of scoring chances, but felt the absence of Colombian star striker Miguel Borja, who was out with a hamstring injury.

The Millonario struggled to get past Banfield, who defended very deep and had goalkeeper — and former River player — Marcelo Barovero pull several top saves. In the 86th minute, a mistake in River’s own defensive third allowed Banfield winger Braian Galván to score with a hard, low shot. 

With River completely committed on the attack, the tie came just three minutes later, as Barovero was finally beaten by a Pablo Solari header off a Claudio Echeveri cross for the final 1-1.

Boca visited Lanús a few hours later. The Xeneize had seen some improvements since Diego Martínez took over as head coach, but lost its unbeaten streak to the Granate, in a match marred by the Lanús fans booing and insults for defender Cristian Lema, who left the club to join Boca. 

The home team hit early, with former Boca striker Walter Bou scoring from a great assist by midfielder Raúl Loaiza in the 14th minute. The Xeneize struggled to recover, and failed to create scoring chances despite dominating possession. 

In the second half, with Boca fully committed to the attack, Lanús scored again on the counter, when midfielder Ramiro Carrera sneaked past the Boca defense and put a cross for striker Augusto Lotti to make it 2-0 in the 71st minute.

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