Boca Juniors beat River Plate 1-0 on Sunday at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, a narrow win over a River side that ended the game with nine men. Under Argentina's aggregate points standings, the result appears to secure Boca a place in next year's Libertadores.
Beyond that, the derby carried little weight. The unusual structure of Argentina's current competitions left the match almost inconsequential for both cup and league.
The spectacle was also tamer than the rivalry's reputation. Visiting fans have been barred from Argentine matches since 2013, a policy many have welcomed for making games more family-friendly and freeing up tickets for club members.
With rain forecast, Boca handed out blue and yellow umbrellas that matched the smoke from club-organized fireworks. Pyrotechnics were once smuggled in by La Doce, Boca's hardcore organized fan group. Tickets sold for half a million pesos, about £240.
Radio commentator Victor Hugo Morales, marking 60 years to the day since his first broadcast in Uruguay in 1966, offered a lukewarm verdict: he said he had seen better Superclásicos, but also worse.
A rivalry scarred by violence
The fixture has a long history of deadly incidents. In 1968, 71 fans, most of them Boca supporters, were crushed when an exit gate for away fans failed to open fully, an event known as Puerta 12.
In 1994, two River Plate fans were shot dead after a Superclásico.
The last attempt to bring rival fans back together ended badly. For the 2018 Libertadores final, then-President Mauricio Macri allowed away supporters into the stadium as a one-off experiment, but the Boca team bus was attacked with stones and crowd control collapsed. The match was canceled and moved to Madrid.
Don’t give me all this Superclásico nonsense. For me, nothing changes if River beats us this game.
Davo, streamer
Shrugging off the hype
Some newer voices in the sport dismiss the frenzy altogether. Before Sunday's game, streamer Davo said he was focused on the Argentina Cup and a South American final, calling the derby just another match.
