Ascacibar rescues Boca Juniors in 1-1 draw with Velez Sarsfield

Buenos Aires, Aug 9

Santiago Ascacibar’s first-half equaliser helped Boca Juniors avoid defeat as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Velez Sarsfield in Argentina’s Clausura tournament at La Bombonera on Sunday.

Velez made a quick start and took advantage of an early opening to silence the home crowd. The visitors moved forward rapidly on the counter, catching Boca’s defence out of position. Valdes took good use of the opportunity and hit the goal in the 12th minute to give Velez an advantage.

Boca responded by increasing the pressure and gradually finding more space in the attacking third. The hosts came close on several occasions, but Velez goalkeeper Tomas Marchiori remained alert and dealt confidently with the threats. The pressure eventually paid off six minutes before halftime.

Leonel Flores’ effort was stopped by Marchiori, but the goalkeeper could not prevent the rebound from falling into a dangerous area. Ascacibar reacted quickest, getting to the loose ball and forcing it over the line from close range to settle the score 1-1, reports Xinhua.

The equaliser gave Boca renewed momentum after the break. The hosts controlled much of the second half and created several opportunities as they searched for a winning goal.

However, Marchiori proved difficult to beat. The Velez goalkeeper produced several important saves to keep his side level, frustrating Boca’s attackers and preserving a valuable point for the visitors.

The draw leaves Velez at the top of Zone A with 10 points from four matches. Boca, meanwhile, remain in sixth place with five points, five behind the leaders.

The result extended Velez’s strong start to the Clausura campaign, while Boca will feel they missed an opportunity to close the gap on the teams at the top of the standings.

Elsewhere in Saturday’s Argentine top-flight action, Deportivo Riestra defeated Estudiantes 2-0 at home, while Sarmiento secured a 2-1 away victory against Atletico Tucuman.

Tigre edged River Plate 1-0 at home, Platense recorded a 1-0 win at Independiente, and Instituto beat Gimnasia Mendoza 1-0 on home soil.