Boca tops Group A with Defensa rout

Alsharq Tribune-M.Essam 

Boca Juniors rose to the top of Group A in Argentina's Apertura tournament on Thursday with a 4-0 away win over Defensa y Justicia.

Milton Gimenez opened the scoring by combining with Alan Velasco before curling a long-range shot into the top-left corner.

Velasco then turned scorer as he latched onto Exequiel Zeballos' perfectly weighted pass and finished clinically past Uruguayan goalkeeper Cristopher Fiermarin.

The Buenos Aires side went further ahead courtesy of Adam Bareiro's tap-in before Miguel Merentiel completed the rout with a close-range effort on the counterattack.

"We played an intelligent game," Boca manager Claudio Ubeda told a post-match news conference.

"We were organized and gradually found our rhythm. In the second half we made some changes to our midfield and right away we were able to create an advantage and score more goals," he added.

Boca now has 27 points, ahead of second-placed Estudiantes on goal difference, though the La Plata-based club has a game in hand. Defensa y Justicia is ninth in the group, eight points further back.