Chilean referee Piero Maza came under criticism in Argentina and Brazil after the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana semifinals. This Tuesday, at La Bombonera, Vasco da Gama beat Boca Juniors 1-0.
According to BioBioChile, the criticism centered on the dismissal of Vasco's Colombian midfielder Andrés Gómez. Maza showed him two yellow cards within seconds in the 64th minute, after penalizing him for a shove.
ESPN's SportsCenter account posted on X that Gómez received the first yellow for preventing Boca from taking a free kick. According to the same channel, the second came for shoving the referee himself.
In Brazil, Lance called the red card "unbelievable" and wrote that Maza did not like the player's attitude. Globo Esporte reported that Gómez stayed on the pitch for a few minutes protesting the decision before leaving visibly angry.
Although the dismissal benefited Boca, the harshest criticism came from Argentina. Picado TV commentator Diego Díaz said Maza was "Boca's best player", though he acknowledged that Gómez had earned the red card.
During the broadcast, Gustavo López called it "madness". According to his account, Maza became so angry that he threw the yellow card to the ground and pulled out the red. Bolavip Argentina claimed the Chilean did everything he could to help Boca equalize.
Adson scored the only goal in the 26th minute. He beat Boca's defenders to the ball in the penalty area and headed it past goalkeeper Álvaro Montero. Chileans Williams Alarcón and Carlos Palacios started for Boca but were substituted in the second half after poor performances.
With an extra man, Boca lacked creativity, and almost all their play relied on crosses. In the final move, Enner Valencia was in front of goal in the six-yard box, but a center-back got to the ball ahead of him and prevented a 1-1 draw.
The return leg will be on Tuesday, October 20, in Rio de Janeiro. It is still unclear whether Vasco will be able to play their home match at the Maracanã. Flamengo and Fluminense oppose approval of the stadium because they say it conflicts with their own schedules.