Atlético Rafaela host San Martín, chasing Primera Nacional promotion | OneFootball

Atlético Rafaela will host San Martín de Formosa this Sunday in the second leg of the final of the Torneo Federal A, which will grant the second and last promotion to the Primera Nacional.

The match will be played from 18:30 at the Estadio Nuevo Monumental, with coverage by Agencia Noticias Argentinas and will be televised by DSports. The referee appointed for the match is Marcos Liuzzi.

The team from Santa Fe comes to the rematch with a significant advantage after winning 1-0 as visitors in the first leg, a result that leaves them well-positioned to achieve the goal of returning to the second tier of Argentine football.

With this scenario, San Martín de Formosa will be obliged to win by at least one goal to take the decision to penalties, as neither the sporting advantage nor the away goal rule applies.

Atlético Rafaela reached this decisive stage after a solid run in the Reválida. In the quarterfinals, they eliminated Guillermo Brown with an aggregate score of 3-1, while in the semifinals, they convincingly defeated Douglas Haig with a total score of 4-2.

Previously, the Rafaela team was very close to direct promotion, but they lost in the final for the first ticket to the Primera Nacional against Ciudad de Bolívar, who won the series by prevailing 5-4 in the penalty shootout after a goalless draw in regular time.

San Martín de Formosa, meanwhile, traveled a longer and more demanding path to reach this final. The team from northern Argentina began its participation in the third round of the Reválida playoffs, equivalent to the round of 16, and overcame each stage with strong performances.

In their journey, they left Costa Brava de General Pico behind with an aggregate score of 3-2; then they eliminated Atenas de Río Cuarto by 4-1; and in the run-up to the final, they defeated 9 de Julio de Rafaela with a total score of 5-3.

Atlético Rafaela, which has been a protagonist for several seasons in the First Division and has an extensive history in the main categories of Argentine football, will seek to leave behind the tough relegation suffered last year and achieve a quick return to the Primera Nacional.

San Martín de Formosa, on the other hand, faces a historic challenge: if they achieve promotion, they would reach the Primera Nacional for the first time in their history, which would represent the greatest sporting achievement of the club since its foundation in 1941.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.