Basile at a loss to explain poor Racing form
Reuters - Monday 27 February 2012, 03:11
Racing Club coach Alfio "Coco" Basile concedes he is still
searching for the right formula after his side, regarded as one
of the favourites for Argentina's Clausura championship, lost
2-1 at home to lowly Banfield on Sunday.
Banfield, who came into the game on a run of six successive
defeats, were a man down for an hour after defender Marcelo
Bustamente was sent off and conceded a penalty converted by
striker Teofilo Gutierrez in the third minute.
Banfield equalised in the 11th minute when their goalkeeper
Cristian Lucchetti had a penalty saved by his opposite number
Sebastian Saja but Andres Chavez netted the rebound.
Banfield's winner, which leaves Racing with one point from
three matches, came in added-time from striker Rodrigo Lopez's
header at a free-kick.
"My teams go out to attack, I was hired to play like that,"
Basile told reporters. "We dominated but didn't create chances.
We have a good team but [the opposition] always scores. I want
to win, up to now I haven't found the formula."
With 11 minutes to go, Gutierrez earned a second booking and
was sent off when he kicked the ball out of Lucchetti's hands as
the goalkeeper was looking to throw the ball to a team-mate.
Gutierrez was booed off the Cilindro pitch by Racing's fans,
who also had harsh words for Basile at the end. The 68-year-old
coach retaliated angrily: "Who are you insulting? I'll fight you
all."
In other matches, title holders Boca Juniors beat Newell's
Old Boys 2-0 at the Bombonera to extend their unbeaten league
run to 32 matches and share top place on seven points from three
games with Velez Sarsfield, Tigre and All Boys.
Boca continued to lean on a stingy defence that has conceded
only six goals in their last 22 league matches while scoring
through striker Dario Cvitanich and a brilliant Juan Roman
Riquelme free-kick.
Racing's arch-rivals Independiente are even worse off than
their neighbours and languish in bottom place after three
defeats, their latest 2-0 to Estudiantes in La Plata on
Saturday.
San Lorenzo, another of the struggling big clubs, had a
happier weekend with a 1-0 win at Argentinos Juniors.