Belgrano strikers' goal drought raises fears before Apertura final v River | OneFootball

Belgrano suffered at La Paternal, drew 1-1 with Argentinos Juniors in regular time, and then won 4-3 on penalties to reach the first top-flight final in its history. El Pirata will face River on Sunday, May 24 at 3:30 p.m. at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Córdoba, in what will be the most history-laden match Argentine football has seen in a long time. But there is one striking detail in the Córdoba side’s run: the forwards scored very little, and it was the midfielders who took charge of the goals.

The numbers tell a particular story. Lucas Passerini, the main goal-scoring reference for Ricardo Zielinski’s team, did not score a single goal in the tournament. Meanwhile, both youngster Lautaro Gutiérrez and Uvita Fernández managed just two goals each in the domestic competition. Altogether, the attacking line contributed only four goals in the entire campaign.

The ones who made up for that drought were the midfielders. Lucas Zelarayán led the team’s scoring chart with four goals. Francisco González Metilli added three. Franco Vázquez chipped in with two. And with one each were Emiliano Rigoni, Adrián Sánchez, Julián Mavilla, and Ramiro Tulián. In total, El Pirata’s midfielders scored thirteen goals, nearly three times more than the forwards.

The statistic is striking, but it did not make the team any less effective. Belgrano reached the first final in its 121-year history relying on the quality of its midfielders and on a solid defensive structure that allowed it to compete at every stage. El Pirata did not need its forwards to make it this far. Now, against River in Córdoba, the question is whether that will be enough to pull off the biggest upset in its history.

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