Atlético Rafaela host San Martín, eyeing promotion on Sunday | OneFootball

Atlético Rafaela will host San Martín de Formosa this Sunday in the second leg of the Torneo Federal A final, which will grant the second and last promotion to Primera Nacional.

The match will be played from 18:30 at the Estadio Nuevo Monumental, with coverage by Agencia Noticias Argentinas and will be broadcast on DSports. The referee appointed for the match is Marcos Liuzzi.

The team from Santa Fe comes into the rematch with a significant advantage after winning 1-0 as visitors in the first leg, a result that puts them in a strong position to achieve their goal of returning to the second tier of Argentine football.

Given this scenario, San Martín de Formosa will be forced to win by at least one goal to take the decision to penalties, as there is no sporting advantage or away goals rule.

Atlético Rafaela reached this decisive stage after a solid run in the Revalida. In the quarterfinals, they eliminated Guillermo Brown with an aggregate score of 3-1, while in the semifinals they convincingly defeated Douglas Haig 4-2 on aggregate.

Previously, the Rafaela team had come very close to direct promotion, but lost in the final for the first ticket to Primera Nacional against Ciudad de Bolívar, who won the series 5-4 in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw in regular time.

San Martín de Formosa, meanwhile, had a longer and more demanding path to reach this final. The team from northern Argentina began their participation in the third round of the Revalida playoffs, equivalent to the round of 16, and overcame each stage with convincing performances.

On their way, they knocked out Costa Brava de General Pico with an aggregate score of 3-2; then eliminated Atenas de Río Cuarto 4-1; and in the lead-up to the final, defeated 9 de Julio de Rafaela with an aggregate score of 5-3.

Atlético Rafaela, who have been a mainstay for several seasons in the First Division and have a long history in the top categories of Argentine football, will seek to put behind them the tough relegation suffered last year and achieve a quick return to Primera Nacional.

San Martín de Formosa, for their part, face a historic challenge: if they achieve promotion, they would reach Primera Nacional for the first time in their history, which would represent the club’s greatest sporting achievement since its founding in 1941.

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