Last-gasp strike: Defensa stay unbeaten, Belgrano lose top spot | OneFootball

Defensa y Justicia salvaged a last-gasp draw in Florencio Varela against Belgrano, finishing 1-1 in a thrilling finale. With this result, the "Halcón" managed to remain undefeated, while the team from Córdoba let slip a golden opportunity to become the sole leader of their group in the Torneo Apertura.

The team led by Ricardo Zielinski took the initiative from the start, controlling the tempo and possession against a Defensa side that struggled to impose its game. The visitors’ superiority translated into clear chances: an Adrián Spörle run that Nicolás Fernández couldn’t finish and an attempt by Emiliano Rigoni were the most serious warnings in a first half where the home side only responded with a left-footed shot from Juan Manuel Gutiérrez that went wide.

The score was opened at the 9th minute of the second half thanks to the class of Lucas Zelarayán, who cut inside and sent the ball into Cristopher Fiermarín’s top corner. After the goal, Mariano Soso’s team looked confused, and things got even worse at the 39th minute with the sending off of Santiago Sosa. However, in the dying moments of the match (51st minute), a handball by Lisandro López after a shot from Gutiérrez resulted in a penalty that Aaron Molinas converted, sealing the final draw.

Match Summary

Torneo Apertura 2026 – Matchday 6 Stadium: Norberto Tomaghello. Referee: Nicolás Lamolina. VAR: Joaquín Gil.

Defensa y Justicia: Cristopher Fiermarín; Lucas Souto, Emiliano Amor, David Martínez; Ayrton Portillo, Santiago Sosa, Aarón Molinas, Elías Pereyra; Rubén Botta, Juan Manuel Gutiérrez; David Barbona. Coach: Mariano Soso.

Belgrano: Thiago Cardozo; Leonardo Morales, Alexis Maldonado, Lisandro López, Adrián Spörle; Adrián Sánchez, Franco Vázquez; Alcides Benítez, Lucas Zelarayán, Emiliano Rigoni; Nicolás Fernández. Coach: Ricardo Zielinski.

Goals in the second half: 9′ Lucas Zelarayán (B); 51′ Aaron Molinas – penalty – (DyJ). Sent off in the second half: 39′ Santiago Sosa (DyJ).

Substitutions in the second half: At the start, Agustín Hausch came on for Portillo (DyJ); at the 16th minute, David Fernández for Pereyra (DyJ), Darío Cáceres for Barbona (DyJ), and Éver Banega for Botta (DyJ); at the 25th minute, N. Fernández, Zelarayán, and Benítez were replaced by Lucas Passerini, Santiago Longo, and Francisco González Metilli (B); at the 31st minute, Álvaro Ocampo replaced Morales (B) and Mateo Aguiar replaced D. Martínez (DyJ); finally, at the 40th minute, Ramiro Tulián came on for Vázquez (B).

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