Winning Is So Much Better Than Losing…

Boca 3-2 Velez Sarsfield

Let me start by saying – how good is winning? It’s wicked. Totally dominates losing. Why anyone would want to lose when you could win is beyond me.

To the match. And what a cracker of a match it was. Five goals, end to end action, some individual brilliance, some individual stupidity and, in the end, a vital second win for Los Xeniezes.

The one and only live match I have taken in at La Bombonera was against Velez. It was in November of 2007 and we smashed them that day. A couple of goals from Palermo, plus one from Rodrigo Palacio and Alvaro Gonzalez gave us what was a dynamic 4-0 win.

Ever Banega was everywhere, bossing the midfield and displaying those super skills that convinced Valencia to part with 18 million euros that, at the time, perhaps would have been better spent elsewhere, or not spent at all. After a slow start to his new life in La Liga, he’s beginning to justify his price tag, as we all knew he would. He is a quality player with, at just 21 years of age, the brightest of futures ahead of him.

I missed the first ten minutes of the match, so imagine my glee to tune and see a 0-1 scoreline. Leandro Caruso had slotted home after just six minutes to give Velez the lead. Then, after working hard to earn an equaliser courtesy of a header from Battaglia ten minutes before half-time, we go and let Caruso grab his second a minute after half-time.

Given our recent form, I was a little worried that the man who I dearly wish is in someway related to one of TV’s finest working actors, had settled the match.

How silly of me. Twenty or so minutes later we were back on level terms, courtesy of Juan Roman Riquelme.

Riquelme’s first goal of the new season showed us all, once again, what he is capable of when given a little space and the chance to get his head up around the top of the penalty box.

It was a strike of sheer beauty. He really does strike fear into the hearts of defenders – even those the likes Otamendi and Emiliano Papa, who have been excellent this season for Velez. Not so excellent for the national side, but they aren’t alone there.

In the end, though, the match winner wasn’t one of our players. Despite the winning goal coming via the head of the white-hot Martin Palermo, from the extraordinary distance of some 40m, the man who should be given the credit for the 3-2 scoreline at La Bombonera is Velez custodian, Carlos Montoya.

His hacked clearance struck Palermo in the face and rebounded back into his own net. Martin celebrated like he had just meant to score the craziest goal of the new season, tearing off his shirt and high tailing it up the touchline toward the corner flag. I don’t know what the longest headed goal in recorded history is…but this one must surely go close.

Victory may have come via a huge slice of luck, but who cares? We’ve been wretched of late and these three points will have everyone around the club feeling a bit better about themselves.

We’re up to eleventh, which I know is still average, but at least we’re moving in the right direction. Suddenly, the eight points to Estudiantes at the summit doesn’t seem so bad. Plus, we’re also three points and five spots above River Plate. A wise man (fine, a drunk friend of mine) once said – ‘Luck favours luck.’ The title race is far from over.

Its handy that our next match is on Thursday at lowly Racing Club. The only team still to crack a win this season are seriously struggling, so I am, and all of you out there should be, confident that another win isn’t far away.

Until next time…Vamos Boca…

Category: Boca Team News