There is arguably no bigger match in Argentine football than the clásico Rosarino and on Sunday afternoon in Newell’s Old Boys Estadio Marcelo Bielsa it was the visitors, Rosario Central who were left celebrating another derby victory. Marco Ruben’s second half goal was all that was between the sides and it sent Central eight points clear of their city rivals and up into fourth but more importantly this was about bragging rights in a huge footballing city that is split between just two teams. For the first time in the professional era, the same side has won four clásicos in a row and that is something that will hurt everyone involved with La Lepra.
Having lost the previous three fixtures but having made a good start under new boss Lucas Bernardi, Newell’s were confident that they would end their clásico hoodoo and so the Coloso was packed to the rafters for the biggest event in the Rosario football calendar. Being the more successful of the two sides, Newell’s enjoy lauding this fact over their rivals and despite Central sitting above them in the table, La Lepra ensured that they could not forget which side was ‘El mas campeon de Rosario.’
However, this mattered little on the pitch and in an even opening 45 minutes both sides enjoyed spells of pressure and created chances. The second half followed the same pattern but Eduardo Coudet has impressively organised his Central side into a solid defensive unit that benefits from the attacking guile of Franco Cervi and the clinical finishing of the league’s leading scorer Marco Ruben. As he has done on a number of occasions this season, Ruben just needed to wait for his chance and when it presented itself, the 28-year-old striker made no mistake. A defensive error and poor positioning from Óscar Ustari, allowed Ruben to poke in his twelfth goal of the season.
Newell’s pushed for an equaliser but could not find a way past the resolute Central defence. When Mauricio Caranta did err in injury time and his scuffed goal kick fell to Maxi Rodríguez some forty yards out, the former Argentina international’s lob agonisingly came back off the post and with it Newell’s lost their last chance.
Central held on for a famous victory and Newell’s were left to rue another sub-par clásico performance.
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