Fecha 14 saw the final round of group stage matches take place in the Copa de la Liga before the play-offs. We saw Racing complete an unbeaten season, Estudiantes suffer defeat, and late drama at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona as we found out who will be heading to the quarter finals.
Gago’s ‘invincibles’
Racing completed an unbeaten Copa de La Liga group stage as they drew with San Lorenzo to top Group A with a record of 8 wins, 6 draws and 0 losses.
Javier Correa put La Academia ahead on the 43rd minute after Benjamín Garré seized on a loose played it through to his striker.
On the 71st minute Agustín Martegani levelled the score with a stunning strike from range which rescued a point in a 1-1 draw.
GOOOOOLAZOOOO de Martegani@SanLorenzo 1 vs Racing 1
Por la fecha 14 de la Copa de @LigaAFA en el Pedro Bidegain.#VamosCiclon💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/jZ1jz0UYMT
— San Lorenzo Redes + 1M² (@SanLorenzoRedes) May 6, 2022
Fernando Gago’s side dominated possession with 66%. However, his side had just 6 shots to Santo’s 18. Gago had his goalkeeper Gastón Gómez to thank as he made some fine saves to prevent San Lorenzo taking the victory.
Benedetto strikes again in Boca win
In a week where Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt was sold at auction for £7.1 million, his former club Boca beat Tigre at the Estadio José Dellagiovanna.
Boca in their white strip took the lead just before half-time, Darío Benedetto arriving with a poachers’ finish.
Christian Medina robbed the ball from the Tigre defence before putting it on a plate for Luis Vázquez to seal the 2-0 victory on the 65th minute.
Despite the scoreline El Matador actually had more shots with 21 to Los Xeneizes 9. But Sebastián Battaglia’s side were more clinical and had goalkeeper Agustín Rossi to thank for keeping the opposition out.
Estudiantes beaten in Rosario – still top Group B
Ricardo Zielinski played a second-string side knowing his Estudiantes team had already won Group B going into their fixture against Rosario Central.
However, this new look side did not look organised as Rosario took the lead on the 13th minute. Luciano Ferreyra with a curling finish into the bottom corner.
Their lead was then doubled as Alejo Véliz turned in a cross from Damian Martinez. Canalla made it three on the 53rd minute as Walter Montoya’s cross was bundled in by Marco Ruben.
🇺🇦🤩 ¡Les dejamos este excelente timelaps del gol de Marco y su festejo!
No te das una idea de lo que te vamos a extrañar goleador…#GraciasMarco 👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/5hX7S5JtlT
— Rosario Central (@RosarioCentral) May 9, 2022
Los Pincharratas got a consolation on the 75th minute as Gonzalo Agustín Piñeiro fired after his initial shot was saved by Gaspar Servio.
3-1 it finished with Rosario Central dominating possession with 64% but Estudiantes’ much-changed side did well to take more shots: 16 to their Rosario’s 10.
Late goal send Argentinos through
With Newell’s Old Boys losing 3-1 to Gimnasia, Argentinos Juniors knew that a victory over Unión would leapfrog them into the top four spots.
Miguel Ángel Torrén put El Bicho ahead from the penalty spot on just the 6th minute. However, Matías Gallegos equalised with a header just before the hour mark. His goal was initially ruled out by the ref but VAR intervened and the goal stood.
Then on the 83rd minute Kevin MacAllister (the brother of Brighton’s Alexis) bundled in from a corner to win the game 2-1 and send his side into the quarter-finals.
#AAAJ ✊️ ¡GANÓOOOOOOOOOOO ARGENTINOS!
⚽️ Con goles de Miguel Ángel Torrén (penal) y Kevin Mac Allister, #ElSemilleroDelMundo venció 2-1 a @clubaunion y se clasificó a los cuartos de la Copa de la @LigaAFA.
💪 ¡#VamosBicho! ¡#UnidosPorLosColores! 🐞 pic.twitter.com/LpQiTQl57m
— Argentinos Juniors (@AAAJoficial) May 8, 2022
Argentinos left it late to find the winner. They could have made it easier for themselves if they put away earlier chances. They finished with 29 shots and 12 on target.
Álvarez fires again in River win
River Plate finished their Copa de La Liga group stage with a victory over Platense at El Monumental. Los Millonarios took the lead early on after José Paradela fired a powerful strike into the top corner.
Their lead did not last long. Braian Mansilla equalised for Tiburón, who slotted the ball into an empty net after a defensive mix up.
The home side were awarded a penalty after Elías Gómez was brought down in the box. Julián Álvarez stepped up and slotted it into the bottom corner seal a 2-1 win.
It was a deserved victory for Marcelo Gallardo’s side, who dominated with 68% possession and 19 attempts on goal.
Knockout stages
We now know the fixtures for the quarter-finals of the Copa de La Liga. The single-legged ties take place on Wednesday 11th May:
- Racing vs Aldosivi – Estadio Presidente Juan Domingo Perón
- Estudiantes vs Argentinos Juniors – Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi
- River Plate vs Tigre – El Monumental
- Boca Juniors vs Defensa y Justicia – La Bombonera
