📝Boca Juniors 1-0 Talleres de Córdoba: Cristian Pavón wins opener | OneFootball

A ninth minute strike from Cristian Pavón earned Boca Juniors a win in their opening game of the Superliga campaign.

The Xeneizes were clear favorites for the first match of the season and they did not take long to break the deadlock.

A corner kick was partially cleared by Talleres but the ball fell to Pavón just outside the area. With Argentina national team boss Lionel Scaloni in attendance at the Bombonera, the 22-year old forward did well to get his shot off first-time and score against his former club.

The visiting team reacted well after going behind but could not threaten the recently signed Esteban Andrada in Boca’s net. Though the home side boasts a front-line of Pavón, Carlos Tevez, and Mauro Zárate, the hosts could not add to their lead before half-time.

After the break, Talleres goalkeeper Guido Herrera made a vital stop to keep his side within one. Emmanuel Más drew a foul from Leonardo Godoy in the area and Tevez grabbed the ball at the penalty spot. Herrera jumped to the correct side and saved the penalty attempt but the former Manchester City striker’s shot was at a comfortable height for the goalkeeper.

The second half was more even than the first but Boca remained in control of the match. Herrera was called into action a number of times after the penalty, most notably in the 80th minute. Tevez played Ramón Ábila through the back-line late in the game but the goalkeeper cleaned up the chance.

Despite the heroics from Herrera, Talleres were thoroughly outplayed on Sunday. Boca finished the match with 16 total shots, seven of which were on target, and 12 corners. In contrast, the visitors from Córdoba could only muster two shots on net and two corner kicks in the season opener.