Leandro Paredes walked onto the La Bombonera pitch on Thursday night having traded the world’s grandest stage for a continental playoff in the space of four days. The Argentina midfielder, who played the full 90 minutes of the World Cup final defeat to Spain in New Jersey, was named in Boca Juniors’ starting eleven for the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana knockout tie against Chile’s O’Higgins. Paredes, carrying a rib fracture sustained during the tournament, declined a post-tournament rest period and reported directly to his club, telling Argentine broadcasters before kick-off: “I wanted to be here, available for the coach and the team. It’s very important.”

His inclusion was the headline act in a reshaped side under returning coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena, who began his second stint at the club after Boca’s elimination from the Copa Libertadores group stage forced a drop into the secondary continental competition. The Argentine giants finished third in their Libertadores group behind Universidad Católica and Cruzeiro, a failure that has made the Sudamericana their only remaining path to an international trophy this season. Arruabarrena, who won domestic titles in his first spell a decade ago, made four changes from the side that beat Sarmiento in the Copa Argentina, handing competitive debuts to two Colombian recruits: goalkeeper Álvaro Montero, signed from Vélez Sarsfield after featuring in his country’s World Cup squad, and winger Sebastián Villa, returning to the club following a controversial departure in 2023.

A late injury to new full-back Leandro Lozano forced a further adjustment, with youth product Dylan Gorosito drafted in at right-back. The defensive unit of Nicolás Figal, Ayrton Costa and Lautaro Blanco remained intact, while Milton Delgado partnered Paredes in central midfield. Villa slotted into an attacking line alongside Leonel Flores and Tomás Aranda, supporting lone striker Miguel Merentiel. Argentine media outlets reported that Santiago Ascacíbar, who started the cup win, was the player to make way for Paredes.

Viewed from Chile, the tie represents a historic moment for O’Higgins, who are contesting a direct-elimination Sudamericana series for the first time. The club finished second in their group behind São Paulo and arrived in Buenos Aires with captain Alan Robledo acknowledging the scale of the challenge. “It’s incredible for us — a year or two ago we were playing in the Ascenso, and now we face one of the best teams in the world,” the defender said, before joking that Paredes “would have been better off staying on holiday in Miami.” Statistical models and betting markets gave the visitors little chance, with one artificial-intelligence forecast assigning Boca a 72% probability of victory and a 2-0 scoreline as the most likely outcome.

The winner of the two-legged tie will face Paraguay’s Deportivo Recoleta in the round of 16. The return match is scheduled for 30 July in Rancagua, where O’Higgins will attempt to overturn any deficit against a Boca side that, for all its recent turbulence, has placed its immediate faith in a World Cup finalist who refused to rest.