Unión drew late with Talleres, deserved more but must pray Defensa lose | OneFootball

Only at the very end did El Tate manage to snatch a deserved equalizer. Now, their qualification for the Round of 16 depends on Defensa not winning on Monday.

Unión did everything to win, but ended up drawing 1-1 with Talleres at the 15 de Abril stadium. It was a performance that left mixed feelings: total dominance, a flood of wasted chances, and a miraculous late equalizer that keeps them alive, although now they will have to wait to find out whether they make it into the Torneo Apertura Round of 16.

From the start, Leonardo Madelón’s team came out determined to steamroll the match. They pressed, controlled the ball, and created clear chances, but time and again they ran into their own lack of finishing and the outstanding performance of Guido Herrera.

Marcelo Estigarribia, Julián Palacios, and Cristian Tarragona had unbeatable chances, but failed to convert. Unión were an attacking whirlwind, but could not turn that superiority into goals. And as often happens in football, they paid dearly for it: in the visitors’ only clear chance, Rick scored a stunner to make it 1-0.

The blow was harsh and unfair, but it did not change the course of the match. Unión kept pushing, attacking from every angle, with a volume of play that contrasted with their lack of finishing. Herrera grew larger and larger in the visitors’ goal and kept Talleres afloat, who hardly threatened again.

A dramatic equalizer and Unión’s qualification hanging in the balance

In the second half, the script did not change: Unión attacked relentlessly and Talleres held on. The ball just would not go in, and desperation was starting to become a factor. Even so, the Santa Fe side never gave up.

And just when it seemed the story would end in defeat, relief arrived. After a great team move led by Lucas Menossi, Cristian Tarragona got his revenge and smashed home a brilliant goal for 1-1, unleashing relief at the 15 de Abril.

The draw keeps Tatengue alive, but they no longer depend on themselves. Now they must wait until Monday: if Defensa y Justicia do not beat Gimnasia de Mendoza, Unión will make it into the Round of 16. If El Halcón take all three points, Madelón’s team will be eliminated. Unión did almost everything right… except the most important thing. They were a chance-creating machine, but also a machine for missing them. And because of that, qualification is now in someone else’s hands.

Lineups for Unión and Talleres

Unión: 21-Matías Mansilla; 35-Lautaro Vargas, 2-Maizon Rodríguez, 26-Juan Pablo Ludueña, 11-Mateo Del Blanco; 20-Julián Palacios, 24-Rafael Profini, 30-Mauro Pittón, 22-Brahian Cuello; 19-Marcelo Estigarribia and 25-Cristian Tarragona. Head coach: Leonardo Carol Madelón.

Talleres: 1-Guido Herrera; 20-Augusto Schott, 4-Matías Catalán, 19-José Luis Palomino and 3-Alexandro Maidana; 26-Mateo Cáceres and 5-Matías Galarza; 11-Valentín Depietri, 18-Franco Cristaldo and 37-Rick; 18-Franco Cristaldo. Head coach: Carlos Tevez.

Goals: FH 18′ Rick (T) and 50′ Cristian Tarragona (U).

Substitutions: FH 33′ Rodrigo Guth for Catalán (T); SH 0′ Ronaldo Martínez for Cristaldo (T); 13′ Lucas Menossi for Profini (U); 21′ Giovanni Baroni for Dávila (T) and Alex Vigo for Depetri (T); 26′ Ulises Ortegoza for Cáceres (T); 28′ Tomás González for Cuello (U);

Booked: Pittón, Profini, Palacios, Vargas, Del Blanco, Estigarribia (U); Rick, Galarza and Vigo ((T).

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