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Argentine Apertura Round-Up - Banfield Chase Down Historic Title While Estudiantes Catch Up With Their Homework

Goal.com’s Tim Sturtridge brings you up to date with the latest happenings in Argentina’s domestic scene...

Nov 10, 2009 3:36:41 PM

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James Rodriguez - Banfield

Teams

Fecha 13

Friday, November 6

Argentinos 1-1 Central

Independiente 1-0 Gimnasia

Saturday, November 7

Lanus 0-3 Chacarita

Godoy Cruz 3-1 Racing

Newell’s 2-1 River

Atletico T. 4-2 Tigre

Sunday, November 8

San Lorenzo 0-1 Banfield

Estudiantes 3-0 Velez

Boca Juniors 0-0 Colon

Monday, November 9

Huracan 1 – 1 Arsenal

Argentinos 1-1 Central

Claudio Borghi's Argentinos Juniors side were unfortunate to come up against Rosario Central’s keeper in inspired form on Friday night. Apart from Pavlovich’s equaliser for the home side just before half-time, Jorge Broun proved equal to everything Argentinos could throw at him.

Despite Argentinos dominating the game they fell behind early on to Zelaya's strike for the visitors 15 minutes in. Going a goal down however only served to spur the home team on and they can count themselves unlucky not to have collected maximum points from this encounter.

Central's desperate display was forced on them by the dismissal of Valentin with less than half an hour played.

Independiente 1-0 Gimnasia

In Friday night's other game, a late headed goal was all that separated the two teams. As the final whistle was blown at the recently redecorated La Doble Visera stadium, the away team were left to wonder how they could be leaving empty handed.

The home side certainly rode their luck during the game as the team from La Plata looked the far more likely to score for large periods of the match.

With Independiente fans getting restless, Eduardo Tuzzio chose the perfect time to deliver a killer blow to the visitors as he nodded home the game's only goal three minutes from time.

Lanus 0-3 Chacarita

Fernando Gamboa got a host of great individual performances from his players as they turned over Lanus away from home.

Chacarita's scoring top marks coupled with an all around stinker of a game from the entire Lanus team led to the home side suffering a crushing 3-0 reverse.

If Lanus looked clueless up front then the visitors were sharp and incisive with every attack. Morales pulled the strings behind Milla and Perra as the forwards helped themselves to three goals between them.

Godoy Cruz 3-1 Racing

Godoy Cruz were gifted a home win by one of the most generous performances of the season from Racing Club.

The side second from bottom in the Apertura just did not seem to be playing the same game as their hosts in the first half let alone make a contest of the match.

Vera and Higuain didn't need telling twice to take advantage and a strike from each put Godoy Cruz 2-0 up within the first 15 minutes. The home side eventually took pity on a slightly improved Racing side in the second half and a Sigali own goal brought the visitors back into the game.

It was all an illusion however as the points were wrapped up late on by Chavez after Martinez had been dismissed for Racing.

Newell’s 2-1 River

Any faint hopes even the most optimistic of River fans had of qualifying for next year's Copa Libertadores firmly went out the window with defeat at Newell's.

The home side however believe that they can reach the South American cup competition as winners of this year's Apertura. Three points on Saturday allowed the team from Rosario to sit back for the rest of weekend safe in the knowledge that come the end of Fecha 14 they would still be well in the shake in up.

With illness and suspensions rife in the River camp nobody gave them much of a chance pre-match and it turned out to be a wise assessment as the visitors fell behind after just four minutes.

Boghossian was quickest to the ball and gave the home side an early lead while the River defence looked as though they had left their tactics on the coach.

Buonanotte, River's brightest spark in an otherwise gloomy season so far, levelled the scores in the second half but Boghossian popped up again late on to make sure all three points stayed in Rosario.

Atletico T. 4-2 Tigre

Atletico Tucuman snapped a three match losing streak in fine fashion by thumping four goals past bottom side Tigre.

It was the visitors who took an early lead though through Jimenez although Pereyra was able to make amends for Tucuman to ensure the scores were level at the interval.

Lightening struck twice as Tigre once again took the lead, this time in the early stages of the second half through a goal from Luna.

The audacity of the visiting team was then punished by Tucuman who forced Tigre defender Blanco to turn the ball into his own net for their second equaliser of the game.

Then goals from Gigliotti and another for Pereyra followed to see that all the points remained in the north of Argentina.

San Lorenzo 0-1 Banfield

With the pressure squarely on the visitors to regain ground at the top of the table, Banfield did not disappoint their travelling fans as they picked up yet another victory.

So far unbeaten in the Apertura, Banfield are chasing their first league title of the club's 105 year history and Sunday can be seen as a big step towards making the dream a reality.

The title hopefuls were by no means at their best in the game and offered San Lorenzo a number of chances but none of them were taken by Diego Simone's team.

In the end, a second half strike from Fernandez was all that was required to win the match and take Banfield back to the top of the league table.

Estudiantes 3-0 Velez

Another team still well in title hunt is Estudiantes and they demonstrated their credentials by bouncing back from defeat against Banfield last week to teach Velez a lesson.

As the game unfolded it was hard to believe that Velez were actually above Estudiantes in the league going into the game. All that had changed by the final whistle however as it was the home side who stayed one win away from top spot with Velez a further two points behind.

A Desabato strike just after the half hour mark gave the home team the impetus to go on and close out the game and that is just what they did by adding two more in the second half.

Boselli and Benitez's goals were just what the doctor ordered after the disappointing loss to Banfield and there is a buzz around the current Copa Libertadores holders as they hunt down another title.

Boca Juniors 0-0 Colon

Boca and Colon placed out an instantly forgettable bore draw at the La Bombonera on Sunday which does neither side any favours.

The visitors lost vital ground on the league leaders while Boca's 2010 Copa Libertadores aspirations took yet another serious knock.

It would be a touch generous to say there was a better team in the contest but on chances alone, of which there were very few, Boca just shaded it. This is not enough to appease the expectant Boca crowd however and they vented their anger on manager Alfio Basile who looks set for a short return to the boys in blue and yellow.

Huracan 1 – 1 Arsenal

For nearly the entire second half it looked as though Angel Cappa's Huracan would finally have something to cheer after a miserable Apertura season to date.

The game was livened up after a goalless first half by Trecco's strike for the home team in the early stages of the second period. As the second half progressed Huracan showed shades of the football which made them by far and away the most entertaining team to watch in the Clausura.

With only two wins this season however the nerves began to tell and Galvan needed no second invitation to give Arsenal a share of the spoils with a goal deep into second half injury time.

Tim Sturtridge, Goal.com

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