Clausura 2012: Viatri is back with a bang for Boca; Belgrano shock Vélez & more (video)

Sunday’s Torneo Clausura matches saw a couple of surprising results, and one spectacular return to Argentine football. Olimpo beat Independiente 2-1 to record their first win in eleven attempts, and Belgrano saw off Vélez Sarsfield 1-0 to reach 52 points for the season. After Atlético Rafaela and Colón had played out a goalless draw, attention turned to the weekend’s clásico, played out in a brilliant atmosphere in Avellaneda, where Boca Juniors returned to the top of the table with a 2-0 win over Racing. The first goal was an inspired effort from Lucas Viatri, who returned to the side after seven months out with a cruciate ligament injury. Prior to all of that, Instituto had beaten Almirante Brown 3-1 to leapfrog River Plate and go second in Nacional B. All the goals are right here.

Olimpo 2 – 1 Independiente

Olimpo’s first win in eleven attempts means they remain a Primera División side for another week, at least. They effectively have to win all their four remaining matches, though, and hope that Rafaela and San Martín both lose all of theirs, to stand so much as a chance of staying up.

Vélez 0 – 1 Belgrano

Against a largely reserve Vélez side (between the two legs of the Copa Libertadores quarter-final against holders Santos), Belgrano avenged the 3-1 defeat they were handed in Córdoba during the Torneo Apertura. Andrés Silvera scored the only goal of the game.

Racing 0 – 2 Boca

Lucas Viatri announced his surprising return to Boca’s first team with a golazo of epic proportions to open the scoring in this clásico, backheeling the ball over his marker’s head before half-volleying home. ‘The Big Man upstairs smiled on me,’ he said after the game. Lucas Blandi was the scorer of Boca’s second.

Nacional B

Instituto de Córdoba 3 – 1 Almirante Brown

Daniel Vega put Almirante Brown ahead in this match, but Instituto turned it on its head with goals from Hernán Encina, Osvaldo Barsottini and Miguel Fernández, to go level with River Plate in the Nacional B standings on 66 points (leaders Rosario Central, who host River next weekend, have 68). If the two finish level on points, a playoff will be needed to determine who goes straight up (in second place) and who goes into the playoff against a Primera side (in third).

You can follow the latest news from the selección and Argentina’s foreign legion of players, as well as the domestic championship, River Plate’s first second division campaign in over a century and the ever entertaining/tragic/infuriating capers of Julio Grondona & chums direct from Buenos Aires with HEGS on Twitter. If you’ve not signed up yet you can do so here. You can also join the official HEGS Facebook group, to keep up to date with the latest posts on the blog and discuss things with other fans. You’ll find it here. And remember to bookmark Hand Of Pod, our Argentine football podcast, or if you prefer you can subscribe to it on iTunes here.

Bookmark and Share

Advertisement

One thought on “Clausura 2012: Viatri is back with a bang for Boca; Belgrano shock Vélez & more (video)

  1. Fantastic goal from Viatri. Wonderful to see that he has recovered so nicely. I noticed after the match that he and Gio had a brief conversation and a hug. A couple of young ACL rupture survivors.

Comments are closed.

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑

%d bloggers like this: