Boca Juniors beats River Plate to reach Argentina’s Primera Division semifinals

►Uruguayan forward Miguel Merentiel scored twice as Boca Juniors advanced to Argentina’s Primera Division semifinals with a 3-2 victory over traditional rivals River Plate on Sunday.

Colombian striker Miguel Borja gave River the lead with a low first-time effort after Claudio Echeverri’s pass on the counterattack.

Merentiel equalized on the stroke of halftime by combining with Luis Advincula and lashing home from 12 yards.

Edinson Cavani continued his prolific scoring run when he latched onto Kevin Zenon’s floating cross to head in at the far post.

Boca Juniors extended their lead shortly after through Merentiel, who smashed a volley into an unguarded net after Cavani’s shot was blocked by goalkeeper Franco Armani.

Paulo Diaz reduced the deficit with a 97th-minute strike from point-blank range, but Boca held their nerve to set up a semifinal berth against Estudiantes next Sunday.

“It’s a great feeling to see our fans so happy. They traveled a long way to be here,” Merentiel said. “It’s great to score important goals in such a crucial game. I hope we can go even further because this group deserves it.”

The other semifinal will be played between Argentinos Juniors and Velez Sarsfield, also on Sunday.

De pistolas, flechas y goles ⚽️⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/tSFM5KYny5

— Boca Juniors (@BocaJrsOficial) April 22, 2024