Draw pegs Boca back in Argentine title race
Reuters - Saturday 09 June 2012, 23:44
Boca Juniors clung to their lead in the
Argentine league with a 1-1 draw at bottom team Banfield despite
enjoying a one-man advantage for 86 minutes on Saturday.
The draw left title holders Boca one point ahead of Arsenal,
who beat Argentinos Juniors 3-1 on Friday, in a tight title race
in the Clausura championship and whom they meet at their
Bombonera home next weekend.
Tigre can also climb within a point of Boca if they win
Sunday's home game with San Lorenzo, while Newell's Old Boys are
just two behind after Saturday's 2-1 home win over Independiente
in Rosario.
Banfield had Rodrigo Pepe sent off after only four minutes
for a foul on fellow midfielder Pablo Ledesma.
Defender Agustin Alayes then headed struggling Banfield,
champions in the 2009 Apertura under present Boca coach Julio
Cesar Falcioni, into the lead early in the second half.
Boca equalised four minutes later with an own goal by
Santiago Ladino but failed to take all three points despite
boasting three of the championship's best forwards in Walter
Erviti, Dario Cvitanich and Santiago Silva, who were all in
Banfield's 2009 team.
"We still have our fate in our hands. If we'd been told that
with two matches to go we would have a one-point lead we'd have
taken that," Boca captain Juan Roman Riquelme told reporters.