Independiente were made to ride their luck and survived a late penalty claim to record a sixth successive victory since the midseason break with a 1-0 win over Defensa y Justicia in Avellaneda. Mauricio Pellegrino is enjoying a perfect start to life as the manager of El Rojo aided by the remarkable form of 21-year-old Martín Benítez. In what was a tight match it took just a moment of class from Benítez to seal all three points, after Diego Vera harrassed the Halcón defence the ball fell to the youngster and he side-stepped goalkeeper Gabriel Arias to clip the ball into the net from outside the box. The visitors had their chances to equalise as Independiente failed to control the match on the heavy surface. The penalty shout in injury time that was waved away by Silvio Trucco was a point of contention but El Rojo held on for a scrappy win. Cristían ‘Cebolla’ Rodríguez was introduced late for his debut and although the performance was not good, momentum continues to grow in the Estadio Libertadores de América.
Earlier in Córdoba, Belgrano moved up to fourth in the table with a narrow victory over Tigre. Both sides had chances but it was decided midway through the first half when Tigre goalkeeper, Sebastián D’Angelo collided with his own defender and spilled a routine catch at the feet of the grateful Mauro Óbolo. The striker eagerly volleyed the ball into the empty net to subject Tigre to a second consecutive 1-0 defeat.
The first match of round 20 took place in Junín and Olimpo earned a point with a goalless draw against Sarmiento. The result ends Olimpo’s run of three wins but is still a long overdue upturn in form that has pushed them away from relegation.
golazo argentino 