Clausura & Nacional B: River return to the big time, Arsenal campeón & Tigre survive

It’s been an all-action weekend of football in Argentina to conclude the regular season, with only the relegation playoffs (which start this Thursday) and the Copa Argentina final now left of the domestic season. River Plate beat Almirante Brown 2-0 to return to the Primera División at the first opportunity – I was there! – and on Sunday Arsenal de Sarandí claimed their first league title and Tigre, though they only drew with Independiente, survived in the relegation battle thanks to San Lorenzo’s 3-1 win over San Martín – a result which also relegated Banfield and meant San Lorenzo scraped into the playoffs. All the weekend’s results, scorers and goals (from all Primera matches and the main Nacional B ones) are right here.

Primera División Torneo Clausura 2012, nineteenth round
Club Olimpo 0 – 0 Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors
Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys 0 – 0 Club Atlético Lanús
Racing Club (I. Pillud 81) 1 – 2 Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield (F. Insúa 37; A. Fernández 86)
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro (C. Bueno 28, 81; W. Kannemann 55) 3 – 1 Club Atlético San Martín de San Juan (G. Caprari 26; M. Bogado OFF 29)
Club Atlético Unión (F. Montero 14; R. Erramuspe 50) 2 – 2 Club Estudiantes de La Plata (G. Fernández 12; G. Zapata 61)
Club Atlético All Boys (E. Perea 13, 40, 52) 3 – 1 Club Atlético Boca Juniors (G. Sauro 89)
Club Atlético Banfield 0 – 3 Club Atlético Colón (S. Prediger 10; E. Fuertes 28, 30)
Club Deportivo Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba (R. Ramírez 2) 1 – 3 Asociación Mutual Social y Deportiva Atlético de Rafaela (F. Fontanini 13; S. Carrera 30; A. Castro 59)
Club Atlético Tigre (C. Luna 20; D. Morales 80) 2 – 2 Club Atlético Independiente (P. Rodríguez 49, 55; O. Ferreyra OFF 78)
Arsenal Fútbol Club (L. López 27) 1 – 0 Club Atlético Belgrano (L. Lollo OFF 56; C. Pérez OFF 90+1)

Olimpo and Banfield are relegated, whilst San Lorenzo (against Instituto) and San Martín de San Juan (against Rosario Central) enter the relegation playoffs. Tigre missed out on the title playoff due to being held by Independiente, but won’t care too much; they’ve managed what seemed at the start of the season to be an impossible task, and have stayed in the Primera División. Their reward? They’d already qualified (via the 2011 year-long table) for this year’s Copa Sudamericana, and the fact they’ve avoided the relegation playoffs means they’ll now be allowed to enter it, along with Independiente, Racing, Argentinos, Colón, and either Boca Juniors – should they win the Copa Argentina final against Racing – or Estudiantes, should Boca lose.

Racing 1 – 2 Vélez

San Lorenzo 3 – 1 San Martín

Unión 2 – 2 Estudiantes

All Boys 3 – 1 Boca

Banfield 0 – 3 Colón

Godoy Cruz 1 – 3 Rafaela

Tigre 2 – 2 Independiente

Arsenal 1 – 0 Belgrano

Nacional B 2011-12, thirty-eighth round
Club Social y Atlético Guillermo Brown 0 – 2 Quilmes Atlético Club (M. Cauteruccio 17, 22)
Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba 0 – 3 Club Ferro Carril Oeste (A. Salmerón 56; J. Pereyra Díaz 78; A. Navarro 83)
Club Atlético Atlanta (J.P. Segovia OFF 90) 0 – 2 Club Atlético Huracán (M. Milano 11; J. Bustos 88)
Club Sportivo Desamparados (G. Gigena 31, 51; S. Ogga 74, OFF 74 (!)) 3 – 2 Club Atlético Rosario Central (G. Castillejos 58; J. Méndez 63)
Club Atlético Chacarita Juniors (J.M. Cobelli 17, 55; E. Morales 90+1) 3 – 0 Club Atlético Patronato de la Juventud Católica
Club Atlético River Plate (D. Trezeguet 49, 88) 2 – 0 Club Almirante Brown

These results leave Desamparados and Atlanta relegated, whilst Guillermo Brown and Chacarita will go into the relegation playoffs. River Plate win Nacional B and return to the Primera at the first time of asking, whilst they’re joined by another side who were relegated last season; Quilmes. Instituto will play San Lorenzo in the playoffs, whilst Central will take on San Martín de San Juan.

Guillermo Brown 0 – 2 Quilmes