Córdoba is Celeste and Pirata, Talleres 0 Belgrano 1, historic derby | OneFootball

Belgrano won a Córdoba derby again after 25 years with a remarkable 1-0 victory over Talleres at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Apertura Tournament.

El Pirata was the main protagonist at the start of the match, with a shot from Emiliano Rigoni going wide in the ninth minute. Seconds later, the first controversy of the night arrived in La Docta. In the 10th minute, Guido Herrera saved a cross-shot from Francisco González Metilli, and Lucas Zelarayán picked up the rebound and sent a low cross into the box that was pushed into the net by Lucas Passerini. However, the VAR, overseen by Hernán Mastrángelo, reviewed the play, and referee Darío Herrera called a previous offside on Passerini after consulting the technology, restoring parity to the score.

That decision gave La T a boost for the rest of the half, and they gradually evened out the game, but the team coached by Carlos Tevez lacked ideas to finish off their attacks. A timid long-range effort from Franco Cristaldo in the 28th minute stood out. At the other end, Ricardo Zielinski’s side showed fearsome firepower in attack. In the 38th minute, Lucas Zelarayán cut inside twice, left two opponents on the ground, and laid the ball off near the edge of the box for Passerini, who finished with a shot over the bar.

One of the last dangerous chances in an entertaining first half came in the 42nd minute, with a curling shot from Rick from the left edge of the area. Tiago Cardozo’s crucial save prevented the goal and sent the ball out for a corner. The closing minutes left Talleres with positive feelings, especially after Augusto Schott also hit the crossbar with a shot.

However, Belgrano came out sharper in the second half and made it 1-0 just two minutes in from a throw-in deep in attack. Adrián Spörle linked up with González Metilli, and the former Argentinos Juniors player lofted a long pass toward Lucas Passerini before making a run into the box. Passerini controlled the ball, held off Santiago Fernández, and flicked a backheel return pass to Francisco González Metilli, who finished first-time past the desperate charge of Guido Herrera.

The home side never recovered from that early blow, and the substitutions made by Tevez also failed to change the look of a stunned team that ended the match with nine men. First, Alexandro Maidana was sent off with 13 minutes remaining after a hard foul on Lucas Zelarayán, and in the closing moments, Darío Herrera showed goalkeeper Guido Herrera a red card for a second booking. Midfielder Ulises Ortegoza had to take over in goal because La T had no substitutions left. Lucas Passerini was also sent off for Belgrano.

The final victory for El Celeste ended a 25-year streak without beating the team from Barrio Jardín Espinosa: the last time had been a 1-0 home win in the 2001 Apertura. In addition, Talleres saw a run of 13 AFA competition matches without defeat against their fiercest rival come to an end.

In this way, Belgrano moved on to the next round in the title race after an uneven finish to the first phase of the championship, with two wins in their last seven matches (2 draws and 3 losses). On the other side, Talleres went a third straight match without a win after back-to-back draws against Estudiantes in La Plata and Unión in Santa Fe.

El Pirata will face, on Tuesday at a time yet to be confirmed, whoever wins tonight in Mendoza between Independiente Rivadavia and Unión de Santa Fe. If the Mendoza-based Lepra advance, the quarterfinal will be played in Cuyo; if El Tatengue win, the tie will be played in Córdoba. It is worth noting that the semifinals will take place next weekend, while the final is scheduled for Sunday, May 24 (3:30 p.m.), also at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium

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