Hammering: Estudiantes thrashed Gimnasia, who ended with nine men | OneFootball

Estudiantes stood strong at home and thrashed Gimnasia 4-0 in the La Plata derby on Matchday 5 of the Clausura Tournament. The goals for the Pincha, who kept their unbeaten run alive at the UNO Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium, were scored by Eros Mancuso, Tiago Palacios, Joaquín Tobio Burgos, and Alexis Castro. The Lobo, who have not won at their historic rival’s ground in 23 years, played much of the second half with two men fewer after the sendings-off of Alexis Steimbach and Germán Conti. After the final whistle, there was a brief scuffle between the players.

Alexander Medina’s side dominated possession. The León managed to push play into the opposition half early on, which also left the Lobo’s attacking players isolated up front. However, both teams struggled to create danger in the opposing box. Led by Nacho Fernández, Gimnasia grew into the game as the minutes passed, and Fernando Muslera stood out with a crucial save from Agustín Auzmendi.

Just when the visitors were controlling the flow of the match, Alexis Steimbach was sent off in the 34th minute for a reckless studs-up challenge on Joaquín Tobio Burgos. Referee Yael Falcón Pérez showed him the red card after reviewing the play on VAR. Estudiantes made the most of their numerical advantage to regain control of the derby and took the lead through Eros Mancuso before halftime.

Things went from bad to worse for Gimnasia at the start of the second half with the sending-off of Germán Conti. In the space of just a few minutes, the center-back was booked for handling the ball after misjudging it and for a foul on Adolfo Gaich. Tiago Palacios doubled the lead for the Pincha with a stunning goal in the 14th minute of the second half, and in the 25th, Joaquín Tobio Burgos chipped Nelson Insfrán to make it 3-0. Ariel Pereyra’s team tried to limit the damage with two men down and resisted the home side’s relentless attacks as best they could. Alexis Castro made it 4-0 near the end.

Estudiantes maintained their edge in the all-time record: they claimed their 70th win and moved 19 games ahead, as the Lobo have 51 victories — with 72 draws between them. In addition, the Pincha extended their streak to 23 years unbeaten at home against Gimnasia. The last time the Lobo won away in this fixture was on April 20, 2003, when they prevailed 4-2 at the old 1 y 57 stadium. At the new Jorge Luis Hirschi home ground, the León remains unbeaten with three wins and three draws.

Gimnasia saw their run of three straight Clausura Tournament wins come to an end and missed the chance to climb to the top of Group B. Meanwhile, the La Plata León moved up to fourth place in the overall standings with 37 points. The Tripero side is seventh with 35. Both teams will be back in action on Tuesday.

After a 1-1 draw in La Plata, Estudiantes will wrap up their Copa Libertadores tie against Universidad Católica of Chile at 21:30. On the other side, the Lobo will face Deportivo Riestra starting at 17:00.

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