It ain't over till it's over, don't count your chickens or that lady finally singing. Take your pick, but there's a reason there are sayings about waiting until a match is actually over
Rosario Central fans learned it the hard way Saturday, Nov. 7.
The club beat Estudiantes de Río Cuarto, 2-0, to earn three points in its final regular season match, taking its total in the 'annual table' combining both short seasons to 62 points. That, players and fans felt, would be enough to win the trophy instituted this year, with Boca Juniors heading into stoppage time tied at 0-0 with Defensa y Justicia.
Rosario Central players huddled around a cell phone streaming the Boca match, knowing Boca was the only team that still could catch them in the year's table.
With the emotions starting to pour over, fans ran onto the field to start celebrating with their players.
INCREÍBLE: en Rosario, algunos hinchas de Central confundieron el gol de Boca con uno de Defensa y Justicia y comenzaron a festejar título... que al final fue del Xeneize.
— ESPN Argentina (@ESPNArgentina) November 8, 2026
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But those who still were watching the stream would've seen Enner Valencia find a 96th-minute goal that took Boca to a 1-0 win over Defensa y Justicia and to 63 points in the combined table, one more than Rosario Central.
¡GOL DE ENNER VALENCIA PARA DARLE A BOCA EL 1-0 SOBRE EL FINAL Y ACARICIAR EL TÍTULO! ¡LOCURA EN LA BOMBONERA!
— ESPN Argentina (@ESPNArgentina) November 7, 2026
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Valencia's goal and the victory saw Boca awarded the newly minted trophy, with captain Leandro Paredes accepting the hardware that Rosario thought it would be lifting.
"I don’t have words any more to describe what I’m experiencing, what I’m feeling," Paredes said. "I had to believe. I knew we’d attack for as long as the game kept going until the last second. It wasn’t luck but consistency, work, we deserved this and we’ve done it. We’re happy."
¡MOMENTO CUMBRE EN LA BOMBONERA! Así levantó Boca el trofeo del campeón de la Tabla Anual.
— ESPN Argentina (@ESPNArgentina) November 7, 2026
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Both teams qualified for the playoffs, which will begin after the international window. Boca also qualified for the final of the Copa Sudamericana, facing Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro on Nov. 21.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Argentine fans run onto field to celebrate title that club did not win
