Marchesín vs Brey and their statistics in the penalties: Was it right that Gago changed goalkeepers for the controversial decision?

The murmur at La Bombonera grew in the final minutes of the match. Boca was winning 2-1 and the series against Alianza Lima was tied, which meant that the ticket to the next phase of the Copa Libertadores would be decided on penalties. Just then, Fernando Gago made a decision that surprised everyone: he replaced Agustín Marchesín with Leandro Brey, a young man with a good record in penalty shootouts . The coach's gamble did not work out...

The coach's decision, however, was not improvised. There were precedents that justified the change. On the one hand, Marchesín's recent statistics on penalties were not favourable : in his last year at Gremio, 18 were taken against him and he only saved one. In his career, the former goalkeeper of the Argentine National Team saved 22% of the shots from the twelve steps: of the 116 that were taken against him, he only saved 26. And, of the 40 that were taken against him in penalty shoot-outs, he saved only seven.

On the other hand, the young 22-year-old goalkeeper had shown solidity : in the round of 16 of the Argentine Cup against Talleres, he saved a penalty and saw two others deflected, while in the quarterfinals, against Gimnasia, he starred in a historic performance by stopping four of five shots on Newell's court. In total, he had been executed 15 penalties in those two shootouts, of which he only received eight goals (47% effectiveness) . However, yesterday the story was different, as he did not manage to avoid any of the five shots he faced.

What was surprising was that Marchesín himself suggested the change . In the video captured by ESPN cameras, the goalkeeper can be seen approaching the bench and speaking with the coaching staff on several occasions before the change. Gago and his assistant Fabricio Coloccini had already planned the last window of changes and, after consulting with goalkeeping coach Cristian Muñoz, they decided to give the green light to Brey's entry.

“The change was discussed at one point, but not made. It was decided at the time,” Gago explained in a press conference . The coach argued that the decision was based on previous work with the coaching staff and on the analysis of the rival players. “Lean is more accustomed to that study, at Newell's he saved four penalties in a series, against Talleres he also had good records,” he added.

However, the gamble did not work. Alianza Lima was impeccable in the shootout. Paolo Guerrero, Fernando Gaibor, Miguel Trauco, Erick Noriega and Pablo Lavandeira scored without problems. Brey guessed the direction in four of the five shots, but was unable to stop any . In Boca, on the other hand, he missed his shot when Alan Velasco executed a cross shot and found the great response of Guillermo Viscarra, goalkeeper of the Peruvian team and figure of the night.

The elimination leaves Boca without international tournaments for 2025 , a hard blow for a team that had bet heavily on the Copa Libertadores. Gago, questioned for his management at key moments, defended his decision, but the defeat once again raised the debate about his continuity. La Bombonera witnessed another bitter night, where a well-thought-out bet ended in disappointment.