The Boca Juniors team lost as a visitor to Alianza Lima 1-0 in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores playoff. The match took place at the Alejandro Villanueva stadium in Peru. The goal that sealed the result in favor of the home team was scored by Pablo Ceppellini in the 4th minute of the first half, putting the Argentine team at a disadvantage early on.
Boca's goalkeeper, Agustin Marchesin, had an outstanding performance that prevented Alianza Lima from increasing their advantage on the scoreboard. With this result, the team coached by Fernando Gago will have to reverse the situation in the return match that will be played at "La Bombonera" on February 25 if they wish to continue in the Copa Libertadores, as being eliminated at this stage would mean they will not participate in any international tournament.
On another note, Boca will face Aldosivi in the seventh round of the Torneo Apertura of the Liga Profesional de Fútbol, while Alianza Lima will match up against Juan Pablo Segundo in the local league. Regarding the development of the match, the first controversy arose early when Erick Noriega received a yellow card for a strong foul on Carlos Palacios.
In the 4th minute, Ceppellini scored the only goal of the match after a rebound from Marchesin. Throughout the game, Alianza Lima maintained the lead, and in the 10th minute of the second half, Marchesin prevented Cantero from extending the difference for the Peruvians. Boca struggled to find their game and could not get past the opposing defense, leading to Alianza Lima's minimal victory.
With this defeat, Boca must turn the situation around in the next match if they wish to continue in the Copa Libertadores, showing better performance in the return match at home.
