Boca Juniors defeated Newell's Old Boys 2-0 at La Bombonera in the third matchday of Zone A in the 2026 Apertura Tournament, with goals from Lautaro Blanco and Leandro Paredes. Santiago Ascacíbar debuted as a starter and Ángel Romero came on in the second half, contributing to the win. Claudio Úbeda's team earned six points and positioned itself at the top.
Boca Juniors returned to victory in the 2026 Apertura Tournament by beating Newell's Old Boys 2-0 at La Bombonera, in the third matchday of Zone A. The match, played on Sunday at 7:15 PM Argentine time, marked the official debut of Santiago Ascacíbar as a starter in the Xeneize midfield, after his arrival from Estudiantes de La Plata. Ángel Romero, another reinforcement, came on in the second half and was involved in the play leading to the penalty.
The first goal came at the 40th minute of the first half, when Lautaro Blanco finished with quality after an assist from Exequiel Zeballos, chipping it over goalkeeper Gabriel Arias. In the second half, at the 9th minute, referee Darío Herrera awarded a penalty to Boca after a VAR review for a foul on Romero inside the area. Leandro Paredes converted at the 11th minute, sealing the 2-0 win. Newell's tried to react but lacked depth, remaining with just one point in the standings.
Claudio Úbeda, Boca's coach, was pleased with the team's performance. 'They came in very well', he said about reinforcements Ascacíbar and Romero, and praised the youth players in the forward line. Boca, which had lost 2-1 to Estudiantes in the previous round, now has six points after its initial 1-0 win over Deportivo Riestra. Newell's, coached by Favio Orsi and Sergio Gómez, still winless: lost 2-1 to Talleres and drew 1-1 with Independiente.
In the next round, Boca will visit Vélez Sarsfield, while Newell's will host Defensa y Justicia. The match was broadcast on ESPN Premium.
