São Paulo’s 1-1 draw with Boca Juniors at MorumBIS ended their Copa Sudamericana campaign, with the Argentine side progressing 2-1 on aggregate after winning the first leg 1-0. Boca now moves into the semifinals, while São Paulo must turn its focus to the Brazilian league.¹

The match accounts agree that São Paulo needed to take the initiative but struggled to turn territorial pressure into clear chances. The home side pushed forward from the start, seeking quick attacks down the flanks and pressing Boca’s buildup; Boca, by contrast, stayed compact and protected the advantage earned at La Bombonera.¹

That contrast sharpened after the break. Leandro Lozano put Boca ahead in the 14th minute of the second half, further raising the task facing São Paulo. A late equaliser, attributed in one report to defender Domingos Duarte in the 43rd minute, restored parity but did not produce the second goal São Paulo needed to force penalties.¹

Dorival Júnior’s assessment put greater weight on his own team’s shortcomings than on Boca’s defensive approach. He called São Paulo’s first-half display “unrecognizable in every aspect” and said the team had been “totally outside the game, outside the context,” a performance he believed compromised the result.²

The coach said the need to win intensified the players’ anxiety. “Excessive nervousness” hurt their performance, he said, while repeated misplaced passes drained their confidence and limited their ability to build attacks.² Dorival also questioned an offside decision that ruled out a Ryan Francisco goal, saying: “I have every doubt in the world about this offside. For me, it did not exist.”²

Both accounts therefore point to a São Paulo side unable to translate late pressure into the decisive breakthrough, though they differ in emphasis: one foregrounds Boca’s game management, while the other centres on São Paulo’s troubled execution and a disputed call.