The names of the recent past were not able to conjure up the magic that Boca fans were accustomed to seeing at La Bombonera on a Copa Libertadores night. That mystique from the past that has emerged to will players from the present. It is that power that for years has carried a veteran side to triumph after triumph during the team´s latest golden age.

That was not going to be the case on Thursday night when Defensor Sporting came in to town and was going to be Boca´s sacrificial lamb en route to their seventh Copa Lib title. Even though they were not able to obtain the win in Montevideo last week, coming in to their stronghold with a road goal advantage was key for them to advance to the next round. It had always been. Every team in South America knew that if they gave Boca Juniors a chance to win- regardless of how minimal- they could get burned. Most people were right, but Defensor Sporting did not believe the hype. Just no one told Boca.

There are rumors that were spreading on Thursday that Boca was already talking to Estudiantes about negotiations regarding the number of tickets that El Pincha will get for that upcoming Copa Libertadores quarterfinal matchup. They were getting ready for the big Argentine quarterfinal clash; but no one realized that they were playing a game against a team that had big ambitions and a little fanbase supporting them unconditionally. They came back in very business-like fashion and deliever one of the biggest upsets in the tournament so far this season. Defensor is not like any other team. They are the poster child of the Uruguayan football resurrection. For them Diego De Souza's goal slipping in under the crossbar in the 27th minute was all that they would need against a team that thought they had things in the bag, but did not not take care of what was at hand when they had to. Defensor have been the most consistent team north of the border overshadowing giants like Peñarol and Nacional in the process. The Uruguayan press hailed the the Violetas' victory as ¨Historic¨.

What is most ironic is the fact that there are more Uruguayan sides in the quarterfinals that Argentines. There are just as many Venezuelan sides as there are Argentines. What could be most ironic as well is that Defensor could become the Argentine ¨giant killer¨ as they will face that same Estudiantes side that their latest rival was negotiating with prior to their quarterfinal clash.

Now there are several questions that are left to be answered. What the Argentine media called the Xeneizes' version of Waterloo unleashed great speculation. None of the 55,000 plus that packed La Bombonera expect THAT result; and with the result there will be speculations that will be finalized. In a span of 12-24 Carlos Ischia should be without a job. Ischia, as much as him and Bianchi deny this, were part of the problem. Ischia was never a great coach and he let his personal issues with certain overshadow the harmony of the club. To have things done his way affected the club, but the title that they got last season put a reprieve on the possibility of him no longer being around. He as part of the reason why Boca did not go into the transfer market to get a single player. They sold Jesús Dátolo to Napoli never thinking about a proper replacement for him. Ischia and Bianchi never thought about renewing a team that has started to get old quickly. Once again, winning hides lots of defects.

Now is when the Boca faithful start to wonder why Mauricio Caranta was run off. Now is when Boca fans start to realize what type of goallkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri is. ¨El Pato¨ jsut started to be expose as a goalkeeper whose distribution is suspect and symbolizes everything that is poor in Argentine goalkeepers.

This is also the time when people will question why players like Luciano Figueroa and Fabián Vargas who will be leaving. There are no contract negotiations planned for either player. One can make a case that the Colombian international, Vargas, has been the most consistent Boca player in the past year or so. Figueroa became the key go-to guy coming off the bench and a legitimate goalscorer behind Martín Palermo. He has been able to show in his particular role, what Carlos Bueno, Bruno Marioni, and a host of others could not. There is also the dire need of a replacement of players that are no longer what they were physically. Boca is a side that has aged quickly and it seems like the 2008 Apertura could be this generation's swan song.