Buenos Aires – Striker Jonathan Calleri chipped a brilliant “rabona” as Boca Juniors marked Carlos Tevez’s homecoming with a 2-1 victory over Quilmes at La Bombonera to stay top of the Argentine championship.
Calleri, executing the rabona by wrapping his right leg round behind his left to chip over goalkeeper Walter Benitez, scored in the 53rd minute of Saturday’s match.
Fellow striker Sebastian Palacios had put Boca in front in the first half. Alexis Canelo pulled one back for Quilmes in the 58th minute.
“I don’t have a left (foot), so it was an option,” Calleri told reporters about his quick thinking when his initial effort came back to him off a defender.
“He missed the easier one and got the harder one. While he was doing the rabona I was cursing him,” coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena said jokingly.
Calleri said he often found space playing alongside Tevez, who made his second debut for Boca after returning from a decade abroad.
“He draws markers and pressures (the defence), he’s Boca’s number 10,” Calleri said.
The sports daily Ole headlined Tevez’s winning return with the words “Very beautiful” in English, a play on “very difficult” which is a standing joke in Argentina at Tevez’s language learning difficulties during his seven years in the Premier League.
Boca recovered the lead with 37 points from 17 matches, one point more than San Lorenzo who had gone top for 24 hours with Friday’s 3-0 victory over Arsenal.
River Plate kept third place on 34 points despite fielding a second string side in their 5-1 rout at Atletico Rafaela with veteran striker Fernando Cavenaghi scoring four.
After walking off with the match ball, Cavenaghi said: “I don’t have many, I’m not (Lionel) Messi. It’s a nice souvenir. It’s the done thing and I wanted to take it with me.
“We have a great squad, we must fight for both tournaments,” added Cavenaghi, nicknamed Cavegol.
River are resting a majority of first choice players for Tuesday’s second leg of their Libertadores Cup semi-final away to Guarani of Paraguay. River lead 2-0 from the first leg.
Cavenaghi is the championship’s second best marksman with 10 goals, one less than Marco Ruben of Rosario Central, who can pull level with River on 34 points if they beat Velez Sarsfield at home on Sunday.
Diego Milito scored an early goal to lead fourth-placed title holders Racing Club to a 2-1 home win over Sarmiento, bouncing back from their 3-0 defeat at Newell’s Old Boys last weekend. – Reuters