Newell’s Old Boys was the only leader in the Professional Football League tournament, drawing away with Platense, 1-1, in matchday seven.
The Rosario team took the lead at 41m of the first half with an unusual goal against Juan Pablo Pignani and the local tied it with a beautiful mid-range shot by Juan Cruz Esquivel at 38m of the complement.
With the draw both remained undefeated, but Newell’s has the dilemma of the glass half empty or half full: as in the last day against Patronato he let the victory slip away and, although he was alone at the top (15 units), tomorrow he can pass Gimnasia (LP), which follows it by one point and visits Atlético Tucumán.
Platense, meanwhile, with a great campaign, joined Unión de Santa Fe in the third step of the table, with 13 points.
In an even and discreet first half, it was the “Squid” who produced something else: at 7m he approached with a good attempt by Costa that Macagno stopped and at 20m Tijanovich missed it, who was unable to connect a good cross from Schor.
At that point, the tool most used by the local was the overflow of its sides due to the inefficiency of the “Leprosy” to cut it.
But Newell’s, who at no time managed to connect with Sordo and “Juanchón” García to bring danger, took the lead with an unusual play: Juan Pablo Pignani played backwards, Marcos Ledesma failed to control and the ball went gently to 1 to 0.
In the first passages of the supplement, Javier Sanguinetti’s team exhibited a little more ambition. At 6m, thus, Sordo could not connect a center sent by González; and at 9m González himself tried from the outside and contained the local goalkeeper well.
But Platense recovered the initiative with the changes of Omar de Felippe and Newell’s rested comfortably on the defensive solidity that it has been exhibiting since the beginning of the championship.
The “Squid”, thus, collided with the visitor’s last line, until at 38m he tried another formula: Esquivel took a great shot from medium distance and hung at an angle from the Macagno goal to become the after all deserved 1 to 1.
From there to the end Platense tried to go for more, but failed. The cast, however, seemed to make everyone happy.
On the next date, the eighth, Platense will visit Arsenal de Sarandí (Friday the 15th from 9:30 p.m.) and Newell’s will receive Racing Club (Saturday the 16th from 6:00 p.m.).
