San Justo Clásico decides Apertura, live on Radio Gol | OneFootball

At the Coloso del Oeste stadium, starting at 8:00 PM, Sanjustino and Colón de San Justo will bring the classic to life, which will also determine the champion of the Marcos Méndez.

A tournament to be decided, a city that comes to a standstill. The wait is over. It doesn’t matter how they arrive, nor how the last encounter ended. This is a different clash, special, almost exclusive. As is often said, classics are games apart, and this is no exception. On top of what it means to play a final, it also comes with the added spice of being a classic.

This Wednesday, starting at 8:00 PM, at the Coloso del Oeste stadium, the Grand Final of the Marcos Méndez Primera A Apertura Tournament organized by the Santafesina Football League will be played. It will feature the classic between Sanjustino and Colón de San Justo, with Carlos Córdoba as the referee. The city of San Justo comes to a halt, and for safety, a large security operation with 80 police officers has been arranged.

Since last Saturday, when matchday 21 of the tournament ended, the city of San Justo has entered classic mode. First, there was the question of whether the game would be played on neutral ground or at Portón del Norte Santafesino. The rules stated it had to be on neutral ground, so it was thought it would be in Santa Fe. But, for several reasons, security authorities recommended it be played in the head of the San Justo department. By a draw, it was decided it would be in Sanjustino, starting at 8:00 PM, with Cristian Cachi Retamar on play-by-play and Juan Carlos Haberkorn providing commentary from 8:00 PM, and with about 600 visiting fans.

The classic is in the air in every corner of the city. In every bar, every classroom, every street corner, at the bank, the greengrocer’s, the butcher’s, not even San Martín square is spared from conversations about the big game between the main teams of two of the most important sports institutions in the province of Santa Fe.

Both teams will be looking to add a new star. The Matador will try to repeat what they achieved in the 2024 Apertura, with an outstanding campaign, remaining undefeated, while the Conquistador was crowned in 2023, in the Clausura, where they beat Juventud Unida de Candioti at Colón’s Brigadier López stadium.

Both teams arrive at this Grand Final in very similar fashion. In the first half of the year, they each won 15 matches, drew three, and lost three times. The Conquistador scored 60 goals and conceded 16, while the Matador scored 47 and conceded 17. Both finished with 48 points. In their last outings, Colón de San Justo beat Vecinal Gálvez de Sauce Viejo 1-0, and Sanjustino convincingly thrashed Pucará from barrio Transporte 5-0.

The wish of Tucumán native Marcelo Molina

“This is a very football-loving city, where the rivalry is very much alive. The fair thing was to stick to the rules, which said it had to be played on neutral ground. But well, now the League has decided that Sanjustino will be the home team, and we’ll face the match as we should. Many classics have been played, but it’s the first time a tournament will be decided,” said Martín Molina.

The Matador’s coach noted that “there is a great rivalry, it’s a town rivalry, two teams with a lot of history, where things are shared. It’s lived intensely, day by day, the rivalry is in all sports. It’s a very beautiful city, with two strong institutions, who now have the chance to play this final.”

“Hopefully it will be a celebration,” was the clear message from the coach of the home team. “In the last six or seven matches we were behind Guadalupe, who was a very consistent team throughout the championship, as was Colón de San Justo. They were two very good teams, fighting for the title neck and neck,” highlighted the coach of the green and white squad.

The coach from Tucumán added, “We managed to win the classic, which closed the gap, and the following match we also beat the leaders.” He emphasized, “In the final part of the tournament we were very consistent, and thank God we managed to reach the top in the penultimate match and now we’re playing the final.”

The experience of the Conquistador’s coach

For his part, Miguel Restelli said, “Whenever you play a classic, it’s wonderful to be there and experience it. I’m grateful to life for being able to enjoy this celebration. It’s going to be something that will be remembered for a long time. Because of what it means to play for a title, and especially against your classic rival.”

The coach of Colón de San Justo stated, “These championships are designed so that these kinds of finals can happen more often. They are two very strong teams in the Santafesina League. They are always fighting for the top. Last year we faced each other in the quarterfinals, and if it doesn’t happen at that stage, it will be in a similar one like this.”

“Sanjustino is a great team, with a very good structure. They’ve scored a lot of goals and conceded very few. They’re a very strong rival and have won their last ten matches. So, there’s no doubt it’s a very well-balanced group. And mentally, they’re in a very good place and have a lot of momentum. It’s going to be a final as the Santafesina League deserves,” said the coach from Emilia, in the north of the La Capital department.

The former coach of Colón de Santa Fe and Villa San Carlos was clear in emphasizing that “it’s a football match. With a lot of passion and rivalry, nothing more. The excitement in the League has grown a lot and that’s thanks to the media coverage. Now, it’s a shame if things get out of hand, especially in a city like San Justo where we all know each other, and the day after we’re all together on the same sidewalk.”

All the details for the Grand Apertura Final

This Wednesday will be the time to decide the champion of the Marcos Méndez Clausura tournament of the top division of the Santafesina League, and the contenders for the title are, no more and no less, Sanjustino and Colón de San Justo, lifelong rivals: The first time they will face each other in a League Final.

- Stadium opens: 6:00 PM.

- Home entrance: via 9 de Julio street

- Away entrance: via Independencia street

- Ticket sales for Sanjustino: From 3:00 PM at the Club Store (9 de Julio and Route 11).

- Ticket sales for Colón de San Justo: From 2:00 PM at the Félix Colombo gym (Italia 2210).

- Ticket price: 4000 pesos.

- Children under 12 do not pay admission.

*By police order, entry is prohibited with:

- Blunt objects

- Flag poles

- Flares

- Fireworks

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