San Lorenzo, the only one of the 'big ones' that wins

First, in the afternoon, they captivated Racing and Independent with the Avellaneda classic. Later, at night, I caught the presentation of the River by Marcelo Gallardo at the Monumental, in front of a Newell’s who had gone six games without a win. However, both proposals ended in nothing at 0-0. And the only big team that celebrated during Sunday’s Argentine league match was Saint Lawrence.

The Cyclone was hit by its eliminations in the Argentine Cup and the Libertadores. It had gone seven games without a win, with four losses and three draws. Its idol coach Leandro Romagnoli seemed unable to bear another defeat. That’s why the match against Talleres was key. And San Lorenzo took a big step forward with a well-deserved 2-0.

Both teams had said goodbye to the Libertadores during the week and imagined this story as the springboard for recovery. San Lorenzo suffered in the first 20 minutes, but then was superior and won with two beautiful goals. The first, by Alexis Cuello, after a great pass from Nicolás Trippichio. And the promising youngster Elián Irala closed it with a left-footed shot from outside the area. Now it will be time to consolidate and accumulate points to see if they can qualify for an international cup.

The Avellaneda derby was surrounded by controversy. Racing created several goal-scoring opportunities and always looked for them, but they ran up against the security of goalkeeper Rodrigo Rey and some imperfections in finishing. Independiente played an hour with one less man and dedicated itself to resisting. That is why the 0-0 draw left Julio Vaccari’s team, which is in a stage of reconstruction, with a better feeling.

Miguel Borja (River) drives the ball past Antonio Vespucio

Getty Images

River closed the game on Sunday at the Monumental against a Newell’s side that had gone six games without a win. And Marcelo Gallardo’s team, although they tried hard, were a shadow, devoid of ideas. They hardly created any scoring opportunities. The Rosario team, with intensity, concentration and application, without giving up on counterattacking, rescued a positive tie, also 0-0.

Marcos Acuña, the former Sevilla player who joined a couple of days ago, made his debut at River. He did so as a left back and rounded off a decent performance. He failed to make any impact. The same happened with the youngsters Franco Mastantuono and then Claudio Echeverri. This time Miguel Borja did not have any clear chances to score.

Since the arrival of Muñeco, despite qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Libertadores, the millionaires have not been convincing in the game and have not won in the local league (three draws) since the return of their legendary coach. Gallardo sent a cautious message. He asked for “time” and said that “nothing will be easy.” His team had missed a good opportunity to close the gap on the leader Huracán, who had tied on Saturday against Argentinos.