Tomas marchiori

Boca Juniors: Santiago Ascacibar’s first-half equaliser helped Boca Juniors avoid defeat as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Velez Sarsfield in Argentina’s Clausura tournament at La Bombonera on Sunday.

Velez made a quick start and took advantage of an early opening to silence the home crowd. The visitors moved forward rapidly on the counter, catching Boca’s defence out of position. Valdes took good use of the opportunity and hit the goal in the 12th minute to give Velez an advantage.

Boca responded by increasing the pressure and gradually finding more space in the attacking third. The hosts came close on several occasions, but Velez goalkeeper Tomas Marchiori remained alert and dealt confidently with the threats. The pressure eventually paid off six minutes before halftime.