or a few cruel seconds, Rosario Central were convinced they had defended their Campeón de Liga title. Waiting nervously on the Gigante del Arroyito turf, word somehow got around that Enner Valencia’s last-gasp winner for Boca against Defensa y Justicia had been disallowed, an outcome which would have seen the trophy jet up to Rosario instead of La Bombonera.
Central’s home turf was invaded by hundreds of delirious fans, some of whom took the opportunity to scream their delight down the cameras. But it was all under false pretences. Valencia’s goal was legitimate, and those supporters quickly became Internet celebrities as the extent of their confusion unfolded. Boca, not Central, finished top of the annual league table and took the honours.
It was essentially the nightmare scenario for the Canalla. The club notoriously ‘won’ the inaugural edition of this title toward the end of the 2025 season, a title nobody seemed to know existed until it appeared in official AFA communications on a random Thursday in November. Next thing we knew, Ángel Di María and other Central worthies were meeting Claudio Tapia and showing off their trophy in the back of a car, a series of events which left neither the team nor the football association in a particularly flattering light.
This time they came so close to doing everything right. Under the stewardship of ex-Boca and Lanús boss Jorge Almirón Central put in another strong season, winning 18 and losing just six of their 32 Liga Profesional games. On Saturday they were champions-elect from the moment Julián Fernández fired them ahead against moribund Estudiantes Río Cuarto, with Maxi Coronel doubling the advantage with a thunderbolt in the second half to put the result out of reach.
Boca, meanwhile, were struggling to break down a Defensa team determined to play the spoiler role, and back-to-back titles, this time with far more legitimacy to boot, were in reach for Di María and his colleagues.
Valencia had other ideas. The veteran Ecuador striker has not scored a huge number of goals since moving to Boca in the winter but they tend to come at opportune moments. Who can forget his hat-trick off the bench to somehow send the Xeneize through to the Copa Argentina semis at the expense of Racing, who looked home and dry two goals ahead?
At the weekend an almost identical scenario played out. Valencia was thrown into the action to score, and score he did, taking advantage of a rare mistake from Matías Borgogno to drill the ball into the net and clinch the first of what Boca hope will be multiple trophies from here until the end of the year.
Central, meanwhile, at least have the comfort of knowing they will not have to wait long for the chance to redeem themselves. On the weekend of the 22nd they and the rest of the Clausura play-off hopefuls begin the last-16 phase of the competition, facing Mendoza’s Gimnasia in that opening game.
The action will follow thick and fast until December, when we will crown a new Argentine league champion to sit alongside Apertura victors Belgrano and annual winners Boca.
One year, three champions; and in the minds of more than a few Central fans there were almost four.