Boca eliminated from Libertadores
Reuters - Friday 22 May 2009, 02:39
BUENOS AIRES - Six-time champions Boca
Juniors were knocked out of the Libertadores Cup on Thursday
after losing 1-0 at home in the usually impregnable Bombonera
to unfancied Uruguayans Defensor Sporting.
Diego de Souza scored in the 27th minute to give Defensor a
3-2 aggregate win in the second round tie and hand Boca their
first home defeat in the competition since 2003, a run of 30
matches.
Defensor will face Estudiantes, Argentina's sole survivors
in the competition, in the quarter-finals.
Boca had an early chance when Fabian Vargas headed wide
from Rodrigo Palacio's cross but, with playmaker Juan Roman
Riquelme drifting in and out of the game, Argentina's most
popular team failed to take control.
The Uruguayan championship leaders went ahead when De Souza
was first to Pablo Pintos' cross and scored with a shot on the
turn which went in off the underside of the crossbar.
Defensor goalkeeper Martin Silva saved headers from
Cristian Chavez and Riquelme in a bout of Boca pressure just
before halftime.
Boca, already out of contention in the Argentine
championship, ran out of ideas in the second half as their
season effectively came to an end.