Tigre roar to the top

Morel (10) celebrates with Leandro Lázzaro

San Lorenzo’s slump was momentarily halted last weekend, but it’s not been enough to prevent the other challengers from creeping up behind them, and on Saturday night Tigre – whose second-place finish in last year’s Apertura was the highest in their history – are joint top of the league, after their win at home to Godoy Cruz combined with San Lorenzo’s amazing draw away to Newell’s. La Lepra were 3-1 down and had two man sent off in the latter match, but stormed back for a 3-3 draw, and might even have won in the closing moments.

Tigre’s two goals came – but of course – from Martín Morel, both in the first half. Morel is looking more and more like the player of the torneo as the season draws on, and added to his tally of vital goals in only the twelfth minute when he stroked home a penalty as Tigre started aggresively against their newly-promoted visitors. He doubled his and his team’s tally right on the stroke of half time, at the end of a half in which Tigre hadn’t given Godoy a sniff. In the second half, Tigre continued to dominate. They couldn’t add to the tally, but Morel continued a man-of-the-match performance and only Nélson Ibáñez’s great performance in the visiting goal prevented a greater margin of defeat. It was Tigre’s first ever win over Godoy Cruz (the sides previously having met 5 times in B Nacional with four wins for the mendocinos and one draw).

Later in the evening, in Rosario, Newell’s gave Tigre the helping hand they required to stay top of the Apertura, at least until Boca’s match against Vélez on Sunday afternoon is over. At half time, thanks to two early goals from Pablo Barrientos, San Lorenzo looked in complete control, but in the second half it began to come apart. Cristian Fabbiani pulled one back for Newell’s and minutes later, San Lorenzo midfielder Juan Manuel Torres was sent off. That seemed to be behind the visitors when Adrián González restored their two-goal cushion in the 65th minute.

The match looked even more like San Lorenzo’s when, in quick succession, the hosts had Fernando Gamboa and Juan Manuel Insaurralde sent off. But Miguel Angel Russo’s side have made some matches that were seemingly there for the taking look very difficult lately, and Newell’s, with nine men against ten, came back. In the space of four minute Leonel Vangioni and then Germán Ré scored to bring the hosts back from the dead. They might even have had a winner from one of their attacks in the closing minutes, but San Lorenzo clung to what they had. That was just one point, and their title challenge really does look like it’s sliding now.