Argentine Superliga round-up #13: Huracan trouble River while Boca extend lead at top

Friday

Dario Cvitanich was back in the starting lineup for Banfield who massively struggled without his presence up front. El Taladro were facing Tigre away from home and it looked like the game would end in a stalemate. However, late drama happened. Who other than Dario Cvitanich netted his second to earn all three points for Banfield. Tigre 1 x 2 Banfield.

Relegation troubled Chacarita Juniors had a trip to Mendoza where they faced Godoy Cruz. Godoy Cruz aren’t flying high either but had enough in them to see off Chacarita. Well, they needed an own goal from Maura Matos but got the job done. Godoy Cruz 1 x 0 Chacarita Juniors.

Talleres lost two of their key players in Reynoso and Menéndez to Boca and Independiente respectively. They were in for a tough game against 2nd-placed San Lorenzo but managed to pick up all three points against a poor San Lorenzo. Talleres were leading 1-0 before San Lorenzo got two men sent off: Alexis Castro picked up a straight red while Gonzalo Rodriguez was sent off shortly after. The Cordoba-based side was able to see out the game and added another late on to seal the victory. Talleres de Cordoba 2 x 0 San Lorenzo.

Saturday

Gabriel Heinze and Velez Sarsfield got off to a winning start as they visited Defensa y Justicia. The hosts probably deserved more from the game but it was Heinze’s side who took all three points back to Liniers. No Mauro Zaraté yet, though. There were some issues with his paperwork which all should be sorted before next week. Heinze’s Velez has a winnable game coming up away against Chacarita next week. Defensa y Justicia 0 x 1 Velez Sarsfield.

Newell’s Old Boys earned a much-needed win in front of their home fans. Arsenal de Sarandi are probably favourites to go down and struggled in Rosario. They’ve often looked like a Primera B team and will need to change things around soon. Newell’s 2 x 1 Arsenal.

Lanus’ continental hangover continued as they weren’t able to get past Patronato. Lanus has struggled ever since their Copa Libertadores defeat and shared the points with Patronato on Saturday. A switch in manager and departing players haven’t helped them but they’ve now won just one game in their last 11 competitive games. Lanus 1 x 1 Patronato.

Boca extended their lead at the top in a 2-0 win over Colon. It was a special game: Carlitos Tevez returned to his boyhood club and assisted Boca’s second. Pavon opened the score earlier for Boca. Boca has now increased the gap to 6 points and will look to add another 3 points to that next week as they face San Lorenzo in the Nuevo Gasometro. Boca 2 x 0 Colon.

Sunday

Argentinos Juniors had a comfortable game against San Martin as Gelabert got himself sent off after just 6 minutes for elbowing his opponent. It was a somewhat harsh decision but resulted in San Martin chasing the game for the full 90 minutes. The panther, Lucas Barrios, returned to Argentinos jrs. this year and lead the line for Los Bichos. His presence made an immediate impact up front but he couldn’t find the net himself. His teammates could, though. Machin and Batallini both scored one each to seal a comfortable victory. Argentinos Juniors 2 x 0 San Martin.

Belgrano continued their bright start to the season with a win over relegation-threatened Olimpo. Ramis opened the scoring before Matiás Suarez doubled Belgrano’s lead with a beautiful volley from outside the box. Olimpo did manage to score a consolation goal in injury-time but that was all she wrote. Olimpo 1 x 2 Belgrano.

A bomb threat in Estadio Tomas Adolfo Duco resulted in an immediate evacuation. Thousands of fans waited for a special unit to deal with the suspect package. It was luckily a false alarm and the game was played a small 2 hours later than originally planned. River was wasteful up front and sloppy at the back. It was more of the 2017 River opposed to the promised ‘new’ River we were supposed to see. Pratto came off the bench while new signings Franco Armani and Quintero were both not fit to take part in the game. River did give away a penalty though, one which was converted by Ignacio Pussetto. It was the only goal of the game: Some important points for El Lobo while River continues to struggle. Huracan 1 x 0 River Plate.

Union de Santa Fe are flying high and tough to beat in front of their home fans. Lautaro Martinez started up front for Racing but failed to get on the scoresheet. Racing did open the scoring against the run of play but wasn’t to hold on to their lead. Union forward Lucas Gamba missed a penalty but they got another chance from the spot shortly after. Soldano did convert it this time around to level the score shortly before halftime. Diego Zabala had a remarkable performance from rightwing and eventually won the game for Union with his goal in the 69th minute. A false start for Eduardo Coudet in his Racing tenure. Union 2 x 1 Racing Club.

Monday

Atletico Tucumán had a fairly easy game on Monday as they saw off Temperley. They got off to a great start as Affonso opened the scoring after just 4 minutes. Yonathan Cabral and David Barbona both added another to determine the final score. Barbona’s goal was one of the best from round 13, an absolute thunderbolt of a goal. Definitely worth looking up! Tucumán 3 x 0 Temperley.

Gimnasia La Plata also got off to a flying start: The clock had just ticked past 40 seconds as Ezequiel Bonifacio opened the scoring from close range. Nicolas Colazo doubled Gimnasia’s lead halfway through the first half. Completely left unmarked at the back post as he volleyed a corner into the back of the net. Rosario Central immediately struck back via German Herrera but that was all both sides had to offer. Rosario Central probably feel a bit unlucky after Zampedri hit the post and they generally had some chances to tie the game. Gimnasia 2 x 1 Rosario Central.

Independiente drew 1-1 with Rosario Central in midweek as they caught up on a game from week 11. They were very wasteful/unlucky up front but had to settle for a point. This trend continued on Monday evening: plenty of chances but no goals. Well, they did open the scoring via Gigliotti but failed to extend their lead. Ivan Gomez equalized on the 60th-minute mark and Estudiantes eventually stole all three points in Buenos Aires. A horrible mistake by Campana led to a huge chance for Otero who made no mistake. Independiente 1 x 2 Estudiantes.