Monday, February 25, 2013

Independiente get much-needed derby win; River Plate win

Independiente beat Racing 2-0 at home in the Avellaneda’s derby to escape from the relegation zone for the first time in the Final Tournament. River Plate came from behind to defeat Tigre 3-2 at the Monumental with two goals by substitute Carlos Luna.

Independiente boosted their fight to avoid relegation for the first time with a 2-0 home win over Racing Club in a passionate derby yesterday.

Teenager Leonel Miranda gave Américo Gallego’s side the lead after two minutes and substitute Jonathan Santana made sure in the third minute of stoppage time at the Libertadores de America ground in the suburb of Avellaneda.

The win in the first major “clásico” of the Final Tournament lifted Independiente out of the bottom three in the relegation standings, a separate table of average points over three seasons that determines which three teams will go down.

Miranda stunned Racing with a low shot from outside the box that went inside Sebastián Saja’s right-hand post with the goalkeeper diving late as he was unsighted by Racing defenders.

The hosts dominated a strangely lethargic Racing in a tense exciting match and Santana took a pass from the right by Colombian striker Juan Caicedo to score the second with the referee about to blow the final whistle.

Racing’s substitute winger Diego Villar was sent off six minutes from time for a dangerous foul on Colombian midfielder Fabián Vargas.

At the Monumental stadium, Carlos Luna scored two late goals and Juan Iturbe netted another to give River Plate a 3-2 victory over Tigre.

The visitors went ahead in the 54th minute with a goal scored by Alejandro Donatti, but substitute Luna, a former Tigre player, equalized for Ramón Díaz’s team in the 85th with a header and netted his second a minute later. Iturbe scored the third for the hosts in stoppage time and Matías Pérez García pulled one back in the last minute of play with a penalty.

River, who won all their three matches in the tournament, climbed to the top of the standings to share the lead with Lanús.

Also, Godoy Cruz claimed their second victory in the competition after they beat Atlético Rafaela 2-1. Leandro Grimi and Mauro Óbolo scored for Martín Palermo’s side in the 17th and 20th minutes, receptively, while Diego Vera pulled one back almost at the end of the game.

At the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium in Córdoba, Martín Zapata scored a late goal to give Belgrano a 2-1 victory over Colón. César Pereyra put the hosts ahead in the 39th minute, but Emmanuel Gigliotti equalized for Colón in the 57th.

On Saturday, title holders Vélez Sarsfield, winners of the Initial Tournament in the first half of the season, fell 1-0 away to Lanús, a team fast emerging as serious contenders for the title.

Herald staff with agencies