SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, Argentina :Milton Gimenez struck early, Jose Florentin scored an own goal and Miguel Merentiel scored late as Boca Juniors eased to a 3-0 victory over a 10-man Central Cordoba in the Argentine Primera Division Apertura tournament on Friday.
Boca’s fifth league win in a row lifted them to second in the table, just a point below Argentinos Juniors.
“Today showed that we played well. We scored the goals quite quickly,” Gimenez told TNT Sports. “This is day by day, game by game. The league is very competitive and difficult. No one has an advantage.”
Gimenez scored early for the second game in a row when he trapped a perfect long ball from former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera in the Cordoba box. Keeper Alan Aguerre ran out to block Gimenez but the striker was able to find the net, putting Boca ahead in the 16th minute.
Cordoba almost equalised just after the half hour mark but Boca keeper Agustin Marchesin did well to keep out Luis Miguel Angulo’s attempt.
Visitors Boca doubled their lead soon after in the 36th minute when Kevin Zenon’s cross hit Cordoba defender Jose Florentin and rolled past the goal line despite Santiago Moyano’s diving attempt to keep it out.
Things went from bad to worse for hosts Cordoba when they were reduced to 10 men just before half-time, with Jonathan Galvan sent off for showing aggression towards Herrera after an attempted tackle.
Boca captain Edinson Cavani, a former United forward, pushed to increase his team’s lead early in the second half but fell short twice, but the visitors did not mind as they cruised towards victory with little pressure from the struggling hosts.
The third goal finally came in the 89th minute with Luis Advincula sending an inch-perfect diagonal ball to Merentiel on the edge of the box. The Uruguayan striker made no mistake in finding the net to cap off the commanding win.
“The team is building… I think the team found the spaces in the first half, found the movements and where we could hurt our opponents,” Boca coach Fernando Gago told reporters.
“What we lacked in the second half, I think because of the heat and tiredness, was a little more depth.”
Boca host Defensa y Justicia on March 16.
