Camila Galante's message to Leandro Paredes after Boca Juniors qualified for the Copa Sudamericana final

Boca Juniors achieved a heroic qualification for the Copa Sudamericana final after winning 3-1 against Vasco da Gama at Maracanã thanks to a goal by Leandro Paredes in the 88th minute, when the series seemed headed for penalties. Amidst the joy of the victory that leaves Xeneize on the verge of an international title they haven't won in 18 years, Camila Galante, the midfielder's wife, left a message for the night's star. "You are immense, you are strength, you are resilience, you are pride. Thank you, I love you with all my heart," Camila posted on her Instagram account along with a photo of Paredes screaming the winning goal in Brazil that the news site Planeta Boca had shared. Galante also uploaded two videos to her stories of the moment of her partner's shot that helped avoid penalties and the official Xeneize account poster announcing the qualification for the final. The 32-year-old footballer responded to the story: "I love you my love," with two hearts, one yellow and the other blue. ADVERTISEMENT Boca arrived at the return match at Maracanã with the obligation to come back from a 1-0 deficit in the first leg and went out to chase it from the first minute. At the 4th minute, a corner with great curve found Lautaro Di Lollo, who won in the air and headed the ball into the back of the net to equalize the series. Rodolfo Arruabarrena's team did not lose intensity and at the 34th minute came the second: Sebastián Villa launched a 40-meter pass to Miguel Merentiel, who was one-on-one with goalkeeper Léo Jardim and finished with the calm of a goalscorer to make it 2-0 in the partial score. In the second half, Vasco da Gama reacted with the entries of Brenner and Marino Hinestroza, and at the 66th minute Puma Rodríguez capitalized on a cross from Cuiabano to score the 1-2 that equalized the aggregate and headed the elimination to penalties. But the story had a movie ending in reserve: Paredes, who had entered in the 57th minute after recovering in record time from a tear, took the ball outside the area in the 88th minute and unleashed a shot with effect that surprised Jardim and went into the net. Maracanã fell silent, Boca's players erupted in unrestrained celebration, and the team sealed their qualification for the final of the Copa Sudamericana, which will be played on November 21st in Barranquilla against the winner of the series between Atlético Mineiro (3) and Montevideo City Torque (0). ADVERTISEMENT The love story of Leandro Paredes and Camila Galante They met when they were teenagers thanks to football: she is the sister of a former teammate of Paredes in Boca Juniors' youth teams. The spark was immediate. Leandro was only 14 years old and she was 16 when they started dating, and so was her conviction that he tattooed Camila's name even before becoming his girlfriend. His brother-in-law Ramiro discovered them kissing on vacation in San Bernardo and, far from getting angry with his friend, warned his sister: "If you make him suffer, don't talk to me anymore." The relationship solidified when in 2014 Paredes was transferred to Roma and both emigrated to Italy with Victoria, their first daughter, who had been born just two months earlier. From there, Camila accompanied him on a long European journey: Verona, Rome, Empoli, St. Petersburg (where Giovanni, their second son, was born), Paris in PSG, and Turin in Juventus. In December 2017, they sealed their love with marriage. Throughout more than 17 years together, the family was always Paredes' pillar, who defined his children as "the best of my life." ADVERTISEMENT The most recent chapter of this story was written with Paredes' return to Boca Juniors, and Camila was a key piece in making it happen. When the possibility of his return arose, she did not hesitate for a second to support the decision to dismantle life in Rome and pack their bags. In the packed Bombonera, while the fans sang "hand in hand with Leo Paredes all the way we will give," Camila could not hold back her tears along with her three children—Victoria, Giovanni, and little Lautaro—closing a circle that began in the Xeneize youth teams. Now, the family's dream is to crown it with some title before the end of the year. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT