The Xeneize coach took responsibility for the loss at La Bombonera, pointed out his own mistakes, and asked to focus on the "two finals" coming up for the Copa Libertadores.
Boca suffered a heavy blow at La Bombonera, losing 2-3 against Huracán and being eliminated in the round of 16 of the Torneo Apertura 2026. After the match, Claudio Úbeda did not shy away from responsibilities and was blunt in his analysis.
"We lost the match ourselves", the coach stated at the press conference, where he focused on their own mistakes as the main cause of the elimination. "You can't make those kinds of mistakes anymore; they end up leaving you out of an important competition", he added.
Despite the result, the coach highlighted the overall performance of the team, although he lamented the self-inflicted errors: "We had absolute control of the game, many goal-scoring situations. But yes we made mistakes, we started losing five minutes in due to our own error".
Úbeda lamented Boca's own mistakes.
Úbeda avoided making excuses outside of his team's performance, although he claimed a possible penalty on Santiago Ascacíbar that referee Pablo Echavarría did not call. "I think in the 30th minute, the play where Ascacibar shoots from inside the area with his left foot is a clear penalty that was not called. I'm saying this because we were called for two against us, I don't want to use it as an excuse".
The coach also backed his players despite the elimination. "I have nothing to reproach them for. They made a tremendous effort in a very intense match", he stated, although he insisted that the unforced errors were decisive. In the same vein, he focused on the lack of efficiency: "We created the situations. We need to focus on finishing the plays better".
On the other hand, Úbeda also acknowledged the emotional impact of the defeat. "Losing a match like today leaves us distressed", he admitted, although he quickly tried to shift the focus to what lies ahead: the decisive matches in Group D of the Copa Libertadores, where Boca will fight for qualification in the last two matches.
"We have two finals ahead of us. We need to focus on those matches and minimize the margin of error", the coach maintained, referring to the clashes against Cruzeiro and Universidad Católica. He reinforced the message: "We need to lift our heads as quickly as possible. We have very important competition and enough reasons".
Úbeda asked the team to lift their heads for the final stretch of the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.
Regarding individual performances, he referred to the lack of decisiveness in attack and the moments of the forwards. "There are times when they are in negative streaks. We need to support them and work on finishing", he pointed out.
Finally, he explained the exit of Adam Bareiro, who was substituted in the first half. "It was a consequence of a bicycle kick he attempted. It caused him a discomfort near the groin and he couldn't continue. It has nothing to do with the previous discomfort", he clarified.
What Boca has left to play before the World Cup
The elimination against Huracán in the round of 16 ended Boca's participation in the Torneo Apertura and much of their first semester. However, they still have commitments in two tournaments before the break for the World Cup: Copa Libertadores and Copa Argentina.
In the case of "La Gloria Eterna", the club from the Ribera will have to go for the qualification to the round of 16 at home against Cruzeiro (19/5) and Universidad Católica (28/5), while in the national competition they will face Sarmiento (7/6) in the round of 32, with the venue yet to be confirmed.
