Thrashing: Estudiantes battered Gimnasia, who finished with nine men | OneFootball

Estudiantes stood strong at home and thrashed Gimnasia 4-0 in the La Plata derby on matchday five of the Torneo Clausura. 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 dismissals of Alexis Steimbach and Germán Conti. After the final whistle, there was a brief scuffle between the players.

The team coached by Alexander Medina monopolized 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 sides struggled to create danger in front of goal. Led by Nacho Fernández, Gimnasia improved as the minutes passed, and Fernando Muslera stood out with a crucial save from Agustín Auzmendi.

When the visitors were controlling the flow of the game, Alexis Steimbach was sent off in the 34th minute for a hard 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 got even worse for Gimnasia at the start of the second half due to Germán Conti’s sending-off. In the span 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 dinked it over Nelson Insfrán to make it 3-0. Ariel Pereyra’s side tried to limit the damage with two men down and resisted the home team’s relentless attacks as best they could. Alexis Castro made it the final 4-0 near the end.

Estudiantes maintained their dominance in the head-to-head record: it was their 70th win, putting them 19 matches ahead, as the Lobo have 51 victories — and they have drawn 72 times. In addition, the Pincha extended their streak of 23 years without losing at home against Gimnasia. The last time the Lobo won away in this derby was on April 20, 2003, when they claimed a 4-2 victory at the old 1 y 57 stadium. At the new Jorge Luis Hirschi home, the León remains unbeaten with three wins and three draws.

Gimnasia saw their run of three straight Torneo Clausura 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 sits seventh with 35. Both teams will be back in action on Tuesday.

After drawing 1-1 in La Plata, Estudiantes will play the second leg of their Copa Libertadores tie against Chile’s Universidad Católica 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.