Estudiantes win La Plata derby
Reuters - Sunday 06 March 2011, 02:49
BUENOS AIRES - Champions Estudiantes won
the La Plata derby 2-0 against Gimnasia to go top in the
Argentine championship on Saturday, where they were joined by
Racing Club after a thrilling 4-3 win over Olimpo.
River Plate can overtake both and take top spot in the
Clausura standings if they beat Argentinos Juniors at their
Monumental stadium on Sunday in a match between the only two
teams yet to lose.
Striker Gaston Fernandez put Estudiantes ahead early in the
second half when he beat the offside trap to reach defender
Leandro Desabato's long, high ball into the box and shot low
past goalkeeper Gaston Sessa into the bottom corner.
Argentina winger Enzo Perez scored the second with a penalty
in the 83rd minute at a packed Ciudad de La Plata stadium,
showpiece of the Copa America in July, where Gimnasia were
acting as the home side.
Gimnasia's 37-year-old captain Guillermo Barros-Schelotto,
back at his first club after shining for Boca Juniors and
Columbus Crew in the MLS, was upset by his team's poor
defending.
"We shouldn't be caught out by a punt ahead from 50 metres,"
Barros-Schelotto told reporters."
Estudiantes coach Eduardo Berizzo said: "We beat 30,000
people [Gimnasia fans]. Winning these kind of matches is very
important.
"The team stuck to our game plan and overcame the absence of [injured captain Juan Sebastian] Veron."
CHANCES GALORE
Racing raced into a three-goal lead at the "Cilindro" in the
suburb of Avellaneda with two goals by inspirational winger
Pablo Luguercio and a brilliant third from midfielder Lucas
Licht after a one-two with striker Teofilo Gutierrez.
Colombian striker Gutierrez made it four in the first minute
of the second half, running onto a through ball from the halfway
line to time his chip perfectly over advancing goalkeeper
Laureano Tombolini for his third goal in two matches.
But Olimpo, joint top with River last weekend, exposed
Racing's defensive frailties with three goals in seven minutes - two by Ezequiel Maggiolo - in a match with a string of
chances at both ends.
Maggiolo headed home a free-kick for his first in the 50th
minute and struck from eight metres five minutes later with
defender Nicolas Bianchi Arce heading in a corner in the 57th.
In four matches played so far this weekend, 18 goals have
been scored including Newell's Old Boys' 3-3 draw at home to
Huracan in Rosario and San Lorenzo's 3-0 win at All Boys on
Friday.