Barcelona vs Boca Juniors

Barcelona SC kept their Copa Libertadores hopes alive with a gritty 1-0 win over Boca Juniors in Guayaquil, grinding out three points on a rain-soaked Monumental pitch. The game descended into chaos before halftime. Santiago Ascacíbar was dismissed in the 33rd minute — VAR confirming he'd kicked Milton Céliz in the head — then Céliz himself was sent off in added time for elbowing Leandro Paredes, leaving both sides with ten men. The decisive moment came in the 72nd minute when Héctor Villalba finished a sharp counter-attack with a first-touch right-foot strike, assisted by Jhonny Quiñónez. Boca were also unsettled early by losing goalkeeper Leandro Brey to injury in the 22nd minute. It's Barcelona SC's first Group D win, a genuine lifeline in their campaign. For Boca Juniors, who had hammered the same opponents 3-0 in Buenos Aires, it's a damaging slip that complicates their road to the knockout rounds.