Glasgow Rangers 0, Boca Juniors 3
JORGE BENITEZ knows more than most what makes a good player. The Boca Juniors under-21s’ coach played alongside Maradona in the 1981 Boca first team and won both the Libertadores and Inter-Continental Cups with the blue-and-yellows in his 10-year career.
On Friday evening the grey-haired mentor watched his youngsters tear Glasgow Rangers apart and then revealed that there were another group of Boca players, exactly the same age and just as good, challenging for another cup in the Buenos Aires area.
Benitez has a special group of players at his disposal in Guernsey and asked which ones were heading for fame and fortune, he pointed to the mercurial winger Ariel Colzera and midfielder Fernando Gago.
Both have already played for Argentina under-17s.
But Benitez has high hopes for all the team he has brought to Guernsey and which gave another poor-sized Foote’s Lane crowd a footballing treat.
‘We work for that [providing the club with first-team members] and we have confidence in all these players,’ said Benitez.
‘We have many players born in 1986 and 1987 who have a great future.
‘This is a good team but back in Buenos Aires there is another group of this age who are as competitive as this,’ he added.
Youngest of the squad was the tall, blond centre-back, Matias Cahais, remarkably not 17 until December.
He plays with all the strength and experience of a professional twice his age.
Alongside him he had Ezequiel Vicente, towering in the air all evening.
In truth, Boca didn’t appear to have any weaknesses, other than over-elaboration on occasion born out of over-confidence that they were several notches higher in calibre.
The major surprise was that Rangers went closest to scoring first, but John Johnstone toe-poked wide after latching onto a perceptive pass between the two central defenders.
Rangers came into the game shorn of three of their best players.
Ross McCormack, Tom Brighton, who scored the winner against PSG, and Charlie Adam had all received call-ups to bolster the Rangers first-team squad for their forthcoming matches against Newcastle and Feyenoord.
But until keeper Diego Pave was called upon to save a last-minute penalty from skipper Brian McLean, Johnstone’s early effort was the closest the blues came to scoring.
Boca were soon in their stride and Rangers chasing shadows.
The inevitable first goal came on the half-hour. Left-back Emiliano Fusco delivered a pinpoint 60-yard pass and Lucas Jara raced onto it before lobbing the ball over Callum Reidford and into the net.
All the while Colzera was putting on a winger’s master-class.
The half ended with Fusco toe-poking another chance just wide at the end of a typically intricate Boca move.
Boca were even more dominant in the second half.
Marcos Mondaini went close and when sub keeper Lee Robinson tipped over from Colzera’s deflected volley, Victor Galarza fired in a cross for Vicente to head home the second.
The Argentinian’s third came from the spot, with Gago tucking the ball away as Robinson dived the wrong way.
Article posted on 2nd August, 2004 - 12.00am
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