From a rising young star to Dua Lipas football fandom: five takeaways from Bocas superclásico win

Boca Juniors cruised to a comfortable win in Sunday’s superclásico, beating historic rival River Plate 2-0 in front of a jam-packed stadium with an A-list celebrity in attendance (more on that later). The victory, which allowed the Xeneize to secure bragging rights in the head-to-head, also brought in a slew of good news for them. For starters, the win means that the Xeneize has a confirmed spot in the 2026 Copa Libertadores, always a club top priority. The team also saw promising young star Exequiel Zeballos ball out after struggling to get back to his best form following a serious injury a few years back.  For the Millonario, the loss not only put its Copa Libertadores chances in jeopardy, but also raised concerns over the performance of their stars, especially those who were part of the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Champions squad.  Here are five takeaways from the latest chapter of what many consider the “biggest derby in the world.” An international pop star in the stands It wasn’t just the players on the pitch who enjoyed the superclásico. Fresh off after two presentations in Buenos Aires as part of of her South American tour, international music sensation Dua Lipa made an appearance at La Bombonera to see the match. Accompanied by her family and friends, Dua Lipa donned the latest Argentine national team shirt and watched the game from one of the VIP boxes. She also received a personalized jersey with her name and the number 10 on it as a gift, presented by club president and Boca legend Juan Román Riquelme. “I love the energy, the people are perfect,” said the British singer and songwriter about the superclásico atmosphere. Is Exequiel Zeballos finally back? Boca academy graduate Exequiel Zeballos was the undoubted hero of the match for the Xeneize. The 23-year-old scored the opener in the first half, courtesy of a missed interception by the River defense, then ran half the length of the pitch to assist Miguel Merentiel’s 2-0. Having struggled to recover his best self after receiving a harsh foul in August 2022 that kept him off the pitch for six months, wasn’t shy about what it meant for him and the Boca players. “Gifting our fans this win is massive, we needed it,” he said. “I’m thrilled and thankful to [Claudio] Úbeda and all the top players, who always backed me.” Qatar heroes at the center of controversies No superclásico is without its controversies, but with four Qatar 2022 winners on the pitch, they were bound to get involved. And while Boca’s Leandro Paredes was arguably one of the matches’ best, River’s left many doubts. Marcos Acuña’s fiery character was never in doubt. Yet he hardly helped his team when he protested a supposed foul ahead of the first goal so much the referee left him on caution for the second half. River goalkeeper Franco Armani, one of “Dibu” Martínez usual deputies, also looked out of sorts. None worse than in the 51st minute, when he chased a ball out of his box and had to clip it with his hand to avoid what would’ve been a cross into an empty goal, an action for which he should’ve been sent off. Still, it was better than Gonzalo Montiel, who in what can only be described as a bout of frustration tripped Zeballos from behind in the 63rd minute. The former Sevilla and Nottingham Forest man saw a yellow card for his tackle, but Boca players and fans alike protested it should’ve been a red as there was no intent to play the ball. The superclasico remains the king of football derbies First played in 1908, the Superclasico’s place among world football’s rivalries has never been in doubt. British football magazine FourFourTwo has labeled it “the biggest derby in the world.” According to Spanish midfielder and Boca player Ander Herrera, they’re quite right. “I came here for this,” he said. “I watched it from Spain many times, dreamed of it many times, remembering what my father told me when he watched it. Now I’ve been lucky enough to win it as a player, with our fans, it was incredible.” Herrera arrived at Boca after a career playing at some of the biggest clubs in Europe, but was adamant that Argentine football’s biggest game is a match for them all. “Playing a Superclásico in La Bombonera is unique,” he added. “I played the Manchester derby, the PSG vs. Marseille clash is always tense, the Basque derby in Spain, but there’s nothing like this.” Boca’s future confirmed, River’s in doubt The win secured Boca’s spot in next year’s Copa Libertadores, a return into the competition after it missed out on the group stages earlier this year. The Xeneize leads the Torneo Clausura group A and will move into the knockout stage later this month.For River, things are a bit more difficult. The defeat means the Millonario can fall behind Argentinos and Riestra in the annual table, and will need some help come the last matchday to secure a spot in the Libertadores. It’s also now 6th in the Group B, meaning another loss could also see it miss out on the deciding part of the tournament.