Tarragona on target as Unión win in Rosario and progress in Copa Argentina | OneFootball

On a night where individual quality tipped the balance, Unión de Santa Fe defeated Agropecuario Argentino 2-0 at the Marcelo Bielsa Coloso Stadium. With a ruthless brace from Cristian Tarragona, Leonardo Madelón’s team sealed its qualification for the Round of 64 of the federal competition, following the expected script and regaining its smile after its last defeat in the local tournament.

“Tate” broke the deadlock before halftime

The start of the match showed an Agropecuario side that tried to surprise with an off-target shot from Carlos Auzqui, but it didn’t take long for the spotlight to shift to the Santa Fe team. Unión began to take control of the ball and created its first clear warning in the 19th minute, when Tarragona headed just wide from a cross by Cuello. Julián Palacios also tried his luck from distance, though without the necessary accuracy.

Although Madelón was forced to reshuffle the defense early on with Lautaro Vargas coming on for Emiliano Álvarez, the team did not lose its shape. The reward for that persistence came right at the end of the first half: in the 46th minute, Mauro Pittón delivered a pinpoint cross and Tarragona, lethal this time, powered home a header to make it 1-0 and give the scoreline a fair reflection before the teams headed to the dressing rooms.

Control, rotation, and the final blow

The second half was more scrappy and offered less flowing football. Agropecuario hinted at a response through Rodrigo Mosqueira, but ran into the defensive solidity of the “Tatengue.” The match entered a rougher phase, resulting in yellow cards for Brahian Cuello and Juan Pablo Ludueña.

To freshen up the team and protect the lead, Madelón turned to the bench with the introductions of Solari, Estigarribia, and Menossi. Although the game became more contested in midfield, Unión never lost control against a “Sojero” side that lacked the ideas to trouble Matías Mansilla.

As the match was dying, in the 92nd minute, the standout player of the night appeared once again. Cristian Tarragona took advantage of another chance in the box to complete his personal brace and seal the final 2-0, sparking celebrations among the red-and-white fans in Rosario.

Match summary

Unión (2): Matías Mansilla; Emiliano Álvarez, Juan Pablo Ludueña, Valentín Fascendini and Mateo Del Blanco; Julián Palacios, Mauro Pittón, Rafael Profini and Brahian Cuello; Cristian Tarragona and Agustín Colazo. Head coach: Leonardo Madelón.

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