Racing advanced to the final of the Clausura (the Argentine Championship of the second semester) on Sunday (7) by defeating Boca Juniors 1-0 away from home, a result that sealed another season without titles for the Xeneize team and, as a bonus, left River Plate without the Copa Libertadores in 2026.
Adrián Maravilla Martínez (75′), who had gone ten games without scoring, broke his drought at La Bombonera and scored the only goal of the match to once again become the hero of Racing, who have found their way back and will look to become champions next weekend.
In the final, which will be played in Santiago del Estero, Racing will face the winner of the La Plata classic between Gimnasia y Esgrima and Estudiantes, which will be held this Monday (8).
Emotions did not abound in the first half, with a slow and disputed development, in which Racing closed in defense, cautious, waiting for Boca to venture into the attack and find spaces.
The home team tried their luck with sporadic plays from the Chilean Palacios and then counted on the speed and skill of “Changuito” Zeballos, who excited the crowd with some moves, but without being able to convert them into a goal.
Racing had the best chance of the first half in the 41st minute, with a right-footed cross shot from Ignacio Nardoni that scraped the base of the right post.
For Boca, Milton Giménez came close to scoring in an individual play, but the shot was weak.
An unresponsive Mouth
The game changed in the second half. Racing tightened the marking and took control of the midfield, advancing towards Boca’s area.
Boca Juniors, out of ideas, tried to attack from dead balls, a weapon that had served them well on the way to the semi-finals, but, around 30 minutes into the second half, Racing found the decisive goal.
Agustín Almendra, a former Boca Juniors player, made a precise pass to Rojas, who found space on the left wing, crossed into the box and “Maravilla” Martínez jumped higher than Ayrton Costa to beat Marchesín with a powerful header into the back of the net.
“The goal is a circumstance,” said Adrián Martínez, who celebrated his first goal in 965 minutes.
“I’m happy. They had been winning many consecutive games at home, they were unbeatable, but with faith… God prepares you, molds you for when things don’t go the way you want. I’m ready to score in every match, but sometimes it doesn’t depend on me”, added the Racing striker.
To reverse the situation, coach Claudio Ubeda unexpectedly decided to replace Zeballos, who had been one of the few effective options in attack, and left Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani on the bench.
Boca Juniors’ streak of six consecutive victories was interrupted with a defeat at home, an average performance in which the blue and gold team once again demonstrated their limitations, with a lack of options in the squad and a lack of reaction when they were at a disadvantage.
Another blank year
The crash marked the end of the season for Boca, who had the consolation of qualifying for the next Copa Libertadores.
Without winning the national title, Boca Juniors at least managed to deny their arch-rivals River Plate the chance to qualify for the Libertadores, a tournament from which they had not been left out for 12 years. River Plate will compete in the 2026 Copa Sudamericana.
Boca Juniors, in turn, is about to complete three seasons without a single title, since winning the Supercopa Argentina, in March 2023. In 2025, they failed to reach the group stage of the Copa Libertadores and were eliminated in the first phase of the Club World Cup.
Racing, on the other hand, staged a remarkable recovery after being eliminated by champions Flamengo in the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, and are looking for their first title in six years, since winning the Argentine Superliga in the 2018/19 season.
