A point and nothing more

Boca tied 1-1 against Arsenal and missed the chance to approach the leader. Echeverría scored for the “Xeneize”. After the draw between River and Olimpo, Boca should have won to stay in the title race. However, Boca’s performance was not so good to defeat Arsenal, which has not been beaten at home. In the first half, the “Xeneize” had two clear actions to score. Firstly, Federico Carrizo shot from long distance and the ball was near the goal; then, Emmanuel Gigliotti hit the bar with a powerful kick. The local team only disturbed by Sebastián Palacios. The forward took advantage of his speed to complicate the defence, though he was not accurate in the definition. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOLCTVXxU1s[/youtube] In the beginning of the second half, Brahian Alemán broke the deadlock. After a free kick, the midfield was by himself in the penalty mark to beat Agustín Orion. Three minutes later, Boca responded; Mariano Echeverría scored, assisted by Hernán Grana. Since the goal, the level of the game got worse. Although both teams made several mistakes and did inaccurate passes, the “Xeneize” generated two more opportunities. Pablo Ledesma’s header was deflected by Esteban Andrada and, in the final action, Leonardo Suárez shot badly. Boca’s next match will be on Thursday at 8:45 p.m. (Argentina time) against River at the Bombonera, for the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana semi-finals. League table: River, 33; Racing, 32; Independiente and Lanús, 30; Boca, 27. MATCH RECORD: Arsenal (1): Esteban Andrada; José San Román, Hugo Nervo, Matías Sarulyte, Federico Milo; Ramiro Carrera, Matías Zaldivia, Nicolás Aguirre (Julián Cardozo 80), Brahian Alemán; Sebastián Palacios (Hernán Fredes 67), Emilio Zelaya (Federico Rasic 74). Coach: Martín Palermo. Boca Juniors (1): Agustín Orion; Hernán Grana, Mariano Echeverría, Daniel Díaz (Guillermo Burdisso 45), Emanuel Insúa; Franco Cristaldo, Andrés Cubas, Gonzalo Castellani (Pablo Ledesma 75); Federico Carrizo, Emmanuel Gigliotti, Luciano Acosta (Leonardo Suárez 63). Coach: Rodolfo Arruabarrena. Goals: 50′ Brahian Alemán (A), 53′ Mariano Echeverría (B) Yellow cards: 22’ Hernán Grana (B), 36’ Emanuel Insúa (B), 49’ Mariano Echeverría (B), 58’ Brahian Alemán (A). Referee: Fernando Rapallini. Stadium: Julio Grondona (Arsenal’s stadium)]]>