It’s been a few days since my last post, and in that time we’ve had no fewer than nineteen goals at the top level involving Argentine sides, from five Primera División games and two in the Copa Libertadores. Lanús top the Primera with River Plate still a point behind them after both won 2-1; Quilmes scored three golazos away to Argentinos Juniors, and on Tuesday night Vélez Sarsfield beat Peñarol 3-1 and Newell’s Old Boys got a 2-0 away win over Universidad de Chile, for both to keep their hopes of getting into the last sixteen alive. All the goals are right here.
Primera División
San Lorenzo 0 – 1 Tigre
San Lorenzo felt – perhaps justifiably – somewhat aggrieved to concede the penalty from which Rubén Botta scored the only goal of the game. The level they played at, though, was certainly some way below the intensity of the performance they’d managed in beating River a week earlier in the clásico.
River Plate 2 – 1 Colón
River, meanwhile, looked a lot better than they had the week before, and more than deserved their half time 2-0 lead with goals from David Trézéguet and Leonardo Ponzio. With just over quarter of an hour left, Emanuel Gigliotti pulled one back to set up a nervous finish, but with Colón in such poor form and River goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero steadying his back line admirably, the result was never in serious doubt.
Rafaela 1 – 1 Boca Juniors
Boca’s poor run of results continued, but as manager Carlos Bianchi said afterwards, at least they didn’t lose again, and their performance was more lively than those of recent weeks, with a reserve side. Rafaela took the lead through a penalty scored by Juan Eluchans, and Boca saw Santiago Silva put his own penalty onto the crossbar right before half time. Nicolás Blandi stepped up to grab the equaliser with eight minutes to go, though.
Lanús 2 – 1 Arsenal
Lanús continued their perfect start to 2013 with a fifth straight win to reclaim top spot in the Torneo Final on Monday night, after River had held it overnight. Ismael Blanco and Silvio Romero got the goals for the hosts in the first half, and Milton Celiz became the first player to score a league goal against the leaders this year with eight minutes left on the clock.
Argentinos Juniors 1 – 3 Quilmes
Quilmes scored three magnificent goals in La Paternal through Sebastián Romero, Wilfredo Olivera and Jacobo Mansilla, to claim a vital win in their battle against relegation – a result that also sees managerless Argentinos slipping a tiny bit closer towards that relegation battle themselves. Matías Martínez got Argentinos’ goal.
Copa Libertadores
Vélez Sarsfield 3 – 1 Peñarol
Having already beaten Peñarol 1-0 in Montevideo amid crowd trouble a couple of weeks ago, this match was played behind closed doors but the result was the same; a Vélez win. Fabián Estoyanoff gave the visitors the lead from the penalty spot, but Vélez hit back through an Enrique Bologna own goal, before Federico Insúa and Jonathan Copete got one each to confirm the win.
This result leaves Vélez top of group 4 on nine points, three ahead of the Uruguayans and Ecuadorian side Emelec, whilst Deportes Iquique are bottom on three. Everyone’s played four matches.
Universidad de Chile 0 – 2 Newell’s Old Boys
A week after claiming a 2-1 win in Rosario, La U hosted Newell’s in Santiago, and the visitors got an away win of their own with an impressive performance, and goals from Maxi Rodríguez and a fine strike late on from substitute Martín Tonso.
Newell’s top the tightest group in the Copa, group 7 – they lead U de Chile on goal difference, with both sides on six points from four games. Olimpia of Paraguay and Lara of Venezuela both have four points, but also have a game in hand over Newell’s and La U – they play each other in Barquisimeto on Wednesday evening.
Hasta El Gol Siempre 