Pepé Santoro’s first match in charge of Independiente (of his current spell at least) was a pleasing one for the manager. Visiting the ‘Elephants’ Graveyard’, away to Colón, Santoro saw Lionel Núñez pay back with interest the confidence the manager had so publicly placed in him during the week, as El Rojo won 2-1 thanks to a double from Núñez before the break. Meanwhile, the folk over at Mundo Albiceleste have it on good authority that though perhaps premature, the story on Friday in Clarín about Miguel Angel Russo taking over as national team boss might not be complete cobblers…
Santoro talked a lot during the week about how he saw Núñez as a crucial part of any Independiente revival after Claudio Borghi’s resignation following a disappointing start to the Apertura. On Saturday afternoon the young striker scored twice before half time, in the 16th and 39th minutes, to give his side a lead which proved, in the second half, to be insurmountable for the hosts. Esteban Fuertes pulled one back for Colón just two minutes after the break, but it was all the response they could manage. On Friday evening, we’d already seen Argentinos and Estudiantes get impressive wins, both 2-0 at home, against Huracán and Gimnasia de Jujuy respectively. For Estudiantes, Seba Verón got a standing ovation after scoring one golazo and helping to set a second up.
Seba at Mundo Albiceleste, meanwhile, reports that one of his sources is aware of a deal to give San Lorenzo boss Miguel Angel Russo the national team job. It’s reportedly been verbally agreed already, and an agreement now needs to be reached with the club to let their manager leave after the Apertura – which San Lorenzo currently top – ends in December. I don’t want to steal Seba’s thunder, so to read the full details, check out this post on MA.
Hasta El Gol Siempre 