Boca Juniors Beat River Plate 2–0 in Superclásico to Seal Copa Libertadores Qualification

Boca Juniors celebrated a double triumph on Sunday, beating River Plate 2–0 at a packed La Bombonera — with more than 50,000 fans in attendance — to clinch the Superclásico and secure qualification for the 2026 Copa Libertadores as runners-up in the annual points table. Exequiel Zeballos broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time, tucking away the rebound after River goalkeeper Franco Armani had saved his initial effort. Miguel Merentiel added a second barely a minute after the restart, finishing off a move that Zeballos had started high up the pitch. The victory, achieved under interim coach Claudio Úbeda following the death of his predecessor Miguel Russo on October 8, was emotionally charged — Úbeda dedicated the win to Russo, saying "a large part of what you see in this team is his image." Merentiel, who has now scored 48 goals in Boca colours, reflected: "We're buzzing with the win. This team deserved to qualify for the Libertadores, and we've managed to do it. Scoring against River means a lot to me." The defeat left River in a difficult position regarding their own Copa Libertadores qualification, with the club currently sitting sixth in Group B. Marcelo Gallardo declined to hold his usual post-match press conference after the loss.