Argentina Superliga round-up week 6: San Lorenzo remain unbeaten while Boca extends their lead
He has featured quite a lot in these round-ups and he was once again vital for Lanus: Pepe Sand. There are not many strikers like him. His movement, anticipation and instinct up front is superb and he proved that again on Friday. He had only two shots in the entire game but both ended up in the back of the net. Lanus 2-1 Union Santa Fe. This was Union’s first loss of the season!
San Lorenzo are still looking for a new manager but interim manager Baggio has done well so far. He started off with a 1-3 win against Estudiantes followed up with a 0-0 draw against a tough Colon side. They faced DyJ in the Nuevo Gasometro and won comfortably: 3-1. Attacking midfielder Fernando Belluschi was outstanding in midfield and assisted all three goals.
Colon faced Temperley themselves on Saturday and had a fairly easy game. Nicolas Leguizamon opened the scoring in the first half and former Juventus winger Marcelo Estigarribia finished the game off with a goal in injury time. Argentinos Jrs. shocked Rosario Central in Rosario with a 1-3 win. Vital points for the visitors who are slowly climbing out of the relegation zone. There is a bit of a crisis going on in Rosario on the other hand. They haven’t won a game this season yet (3 wins & 3 draws). However, they are still in the Copa Argentina after eliminating Boca Juniors and can still qualify for the Copa Libertadores. Central reached the final of the Argentine cup in each of the last three(!) editions but lost all of them. 4th time lucky?
Banfield drew their first league game in over a year this weekend as they visited Estudiantes. Banfield took the lead early on and defended well but a late goal from Pablo Luguercio levelled the score, 1-1. Mati Vargas and Maxi Romero came up big again for Velez. The pair is vital for Velez this season. The latter assisted Mati Vargas who finished off a beautiful attack. Velez 1 x 0 Newell’s. Racing Club didn’t start the season well but managed to keep all three points in the Avellaneda on Saturday. Colombian forward Carlos Ibarguen has been important before coming off the bench and proved to be a true super-sub this weekend as he scored the only goal of the game. Racing 1 x 0 Tigre.
Independiente saw off Chacarita in the early kick-off on Sunday, 1-2. Goals by Barco and Bustos. The hosts are still looking for their first win of the season. Godoy Cruz eased past Gimnasia in Mendoza and recorded their third win of the season: 3-0. Over to Cordoba, where El Clásico Cordobés took place. It happens more often but if you are unsure what to back in a Clasico in Argentina, 0-0 may be your best bet. And this was the case on Sunday as both teams were unable to find the net. The scoreline was a bit disappointing but both sides won’t be too upset with a point each. Belgrano 0 x 0 Talleres.
River Plate slipped up in the last two Superliga rounds: Two 1-1 draws against Tigre and Argentinos jrs. respectively. They simply had to win this weekend as they faced Atletico Tucuman in The Monumental. River Plate took a 2-0 lead and it looked like they would extend their lead even further. However, Tucuman did well to get back into the match and goals from Ismael Blanco and Rodriguez brought the scoreline back level. Both teams could have taken all three points in the end but the scoreline remained level. That’s now 3 points from River’s last three home games. A poor start to the season for River who gave Boca the chance to extend their lead to 6 points.
Boca had a trip to Parana where they faced Patronato. The game was delayed for 20 minutes after fireworks and confetti covered about the entire pitch. There wasn’t as much spectacle in the first half, though. Patronato were still in the game despite Boca’s domination. However, it wouldn’t last much longer. Christian Pavon opened the scoring in the 50th minute and Argentina’s striker, Dario Benedetto, added a second later on. Patronato 0 x 2 Boca Juniors. Boca are clearly the best side in the Superliga this season and it looks like no-one can stop them from winning the title already. 6 wins out of their first 6 games, conceding only once. Impressive!
Olimpo hosted Huracan on Monday but remained without a win. Huracan are up to 8th now after their 0-2 win in Bahia Blanca. Arsenal got their first win last weekend as they surprised Banfield but weren’t able follow this result up with another win. In fact, they lost their 6th game of the season. San Martin just edged it, 0-1.