Friday
Unsure if we would witness it again this season but Arsenal have finally picked another win. The narrow 2-1 victory over struggling Lanus will be a small morale boost for Sergio Rondina’s men. Relegation to the Primera B seems inevitable but Arsenal won’t go down without giving a fight. Arsenal 2 x 1 Lanus.
Sebastian Ribas extended his goal scoring form with another brace at Belgrano. The 29-year old has now scored 11 goals this season which sees him leading the goal scoring charts. His two goals nullified Patronato’s early 2-0 deficit. A superb season for the Uruguayan forward who has been the main reason why Patronato are still avoiding a relegation battle. Wasteful finishing from Belgrano cost them all three points here. Belgrano 2 x 2 Patronato
Colon were the better side against Huracan but were unable to break down El Globo’s defence. A 0-0 draw which won’t upset both teams too much. Colon got a Copa Sudamericana game coming up against Venezuelan outfit Zamora FC. The Argentines won the first leg comfortably: 0-2. Colon 0 x 0 Huracan.
Saturday
Both San Lorenzo and Talleres dropped points in two disappointing 0-0 draws. San Lorenzo failed to find the net in front of their home fans against Union. Talleres, on the other hand, failed to get past Tigre’s defence. Another chance for Boca to extend their lead at the top. San Lorenzo 0 x 0 Union, Tigre 0 x 0 Talleres.
Godoy Cruz picked up their first away win of the season in a week full of upsets. They beat Central 1-2 in Rosario, with Guillermo Fernandez finding the net for the second week in a row. Temperley shared the points with Gimnasia. It looked like the visitors would take all three points back with them to La Plata but a late goal from Osuna levelled the score. Relegation is looking more likely by the week for Temperley. Rosario Central 1 x 2 Godoy Cruz, Temperley 1 x 1 Gimnasia.
Sunday
Defensa y Justicia picked up a valuable win away in Tucumán, who lost their first game in front of their home fans. Defensa have picked up some good form, winning three and drawing one of their last 4 games. Banfield also picked up an important win, as their form had slipped in recent weeks. Their victims were Newell’s, who recently announced Omar De Felippe as their new head coach. It came to no surprise that the scorer of Banfield’s only goal of the game was Dario Cvitanich. The veteran ex-Ajax striker has been a key man for El Taladro who’ll look to push for a Copa Sudamericana spot. Atletico Tucuman 0 x 1 Defensa y Justicia, Banfield 1 x 0 Newell’s.
River Plate continued their downfall with a disappointing 1 x 1 draw at home against relegation-threatened Chacarita. River slightly rotated their side after their 1 x 1 draw against Flamengo in midweek. A draw at home to Chacarita just isn’t good enough as River embarrassedly sit in 21st place. Gallardo’s future is becoming more uncertain by the week as River are failing to overcome their misery. A poor Libertadores campaign could well be the end of Gallardo’s reign. River Plate 1 x 1 Chacarita.
Lautaro Martinez stole the show in midweek with a hat trick in a 4-2 win over Cruzeiro. The most wanted Argentine youngster added another one to his tally as he opened the scoring against Velez. With Sampaoli watching the youngster impress week in and week out, we could well see Lautaro feature in the World Cup. Racing managed to scrape a win over the line in a game which was heavily influenced by poor refereeing and 4 red cards. Lisandro Lopez and Leonardo Sigali got sent off as well as both Velez defenders Brian Cufre and Hernan de La Fuente. Ricardo ‘ El Centu’ Centurion scored the winner for Racing. The controversial forward has impressed for Racing since his return to his native Argentina, scoring 4 and assisting 3 in his 6 Superliga appearances. Racing 2 x 1 Velez.
Monday
Estudiantes picked up a well-deserved victory over Olimpo, who posed no threat to the La Plata-based side. Juan Ferney Otero proved his importance with the only goal of the game seconds into the second half. Estudiantes were dominant and could have scored more but will take a win after their midweek Libertadores match. Olimpo’s chances of surviving relegation are getting slimmer by the week. Independiente finally managed to put their chances away. Ariel Holan’s side has struggled recently scoring goals which resulted in a 1-0 loss at the hands of Venezuelan outfit Deportivo Lara in midweek. There was no better way than taking revenge with a 0-4 victory over San Martin. Admittedly, they were being helped by San Martin’s poor defending, but it was a good victory for El Rojo nonetheless. Estudiantes 1 x 0 Olimpo, San Martin 0 x 4 Independiente.
Boca failed to pick up a win against Alianza Lima in the Libertadores and were held by Argentinos Juniors in El Paternal. The hosts hadn’t won in 4 but managed to pick up all three points against the almighty Boca, who looked to be unstoppable prior to this game. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring from close range with a subtle volley and assisted Argentinos’ second. His brother, Kevin Mac Allister, had a superb game at left back completely shutting down the dangerous Christian Pávon. A great win for the hosts while Boca still holds an 8-points gap advantage over Talleres. Argentinos Juniors 2 x 0 Boca Juniors.