Argentina Primera División round-up: Boca Juniors youngster shines as Newell’s and Colon continue their hot form
Friday, April 28
We started this week with Quilmes who were facing Talleres. Quilmes had previously lost their last eight games and were desperate for some points. Matías Orihuela opened the scoring for Quilmes in the second half as they managed to hang on to their lead. Talleres definitely deserved from the game more but for the first time in eight games, all three points went to Quilmes.
Independiente finally found some form after two back-to-back wins away from home. They were hosting Estudiantes, a team still in the title race. Martín Benitez put La Roja in front but Estudiantes turned it around with goals either side of half-time. Youngster Ezequiel Barco equalised for La Roja with a penalty which was also the last goal of the game to see it end 2-2.
Saturday, April 29
San Lorenzo got a vital win away from home as they beat Gimnasia LP 0-1. The only goal of the game was scored by Juan Ignacio Mercier. San Lorenzo also got a win in the Copa Libertadores in midweek against Universidad de Catolica from Chile. Could Aguirre stay on as their manager?
Newell’s just edged Huracan, Ignacio Scocco’s goal proved to be the winner of the game.
Colon continued to impress as they hammered Sarmiento Junin 4-0 away from home. That’s now 7 consecutive wins for Colon, could they sneak into the Copa Libertadores spots?
Tigre continued their bad streak as they lost 1-0 at home to Banfield. But it should have been more as Brian Sarmiento missed a penalty late on. Banfield sit in 8th position now and will most likely play continental football next season.
Racing Club were shocked as they lost 3-0 away from home to Temperley. After five consecutive wins they will need to pick themselves up again if they want to get into the Copa Libertadores next year.
The last game on Saturday was a stalemate. Union de Santa Fe missed a penalty early on and Patronato weren’t able to score either. A poor game, 0-0.
Sunday, April 30
We ended Saturday with a stalemate and the first game of Sunday was not a lot better. Godoy Cruz played in Bolivia for the Copa Libertadores on Thursday and weren’t really up for this match. Another boring draw, 0-0.
Rosario Central continued their hot form with a 2-0 victory at home over Aldosivi, who have lost their last five games. With this fine form, Rosario Central have got themselves into a spot for the Copa Sudamericana.
In a typical mid-table clash, Atletico Rafaela got a 2-1 win away from home against Olimpo. Rafaela were down to 10 men and missed a penalty in the first half but secured all three points in the second half.
Boca Juniors needed a win after Newell’s win and a game at home to Arsenal de Sarandi was the ideal opportunity. It ended in a 3-0 victory. The game was pretty much done after the first half an hour as Dario Benedetto scored twice to give Boca a 2-0 lead. After the match, nobody was talking about Dario Benedetto. It was Gonzalo Maroni who stole the show. The 18-year old creative midfielder had an impressive performance on his debut. He joined Boca Juniors back in 2016 after he played for Instituto de Cordoba, a smaller side from Cordoba where Paulo Dybala also started out! Gonzalo Maroni stole the hearts of the fans already with some Riquelme-esque movement and also scored the final goal of the game. Final score, 3-0 to Boca Juniors. Definitely worth looking up the highlights for this game as Gonzalo Maroni is already being compared with some of the greatest players Boca Juniors have produced. Probably a bit too early, but one thing is sure. The kid has a lot of talent!
There are still a couple of games to play but they are scheduled for Tuesday evening and Wednesday, which is too late for this round-up.
Standings
Boca are still up top with 48 points, Newell’s kept the gap at 3 points and Colon are surprisingly in 3rd with 42 points. Impressive stuff from them. Estudiantes are in 4th with the same amount of points as San Lorenzo who sit in 5th on 40 points.