Relegation still looks likely for both sides but Patronato may live to regret blowing a three-goal lead and San Martín de Tucumán may feel they did enough to earn all three points in Paraná after a thrilling six-goal draw.
Patronato have shown signs of recovery at home and will have seen the visit of fellow strugglers San Martín, without a win on the road, as an opportunity to move closer to safety.
That looked likely after in-form Facundo Barceló headed Patronato in front and two questionable penalties allowed Mauricio Sperduti and Barceló to fire the home side into what looked like an unassailable half time lead.
However, as if to level things up referee Fabricio Llobet was pointing to the spot again on the hour mark. On this occasion harshly ruling a handball against Patronato to see Claudio Bieler pull a goal back.
The comeback at this point still looked unlikely until Tino Costa’s thunderous long range strike reduced the deficit further.
Luciano Pons smashed in an equaliser five minutes from time but neither side could find a winner and in reality a share of the points does little to help either side’s slim hopes of survival.
Patronato 3 – 3 San Martín de Tucumán
Meanwhile in Liniers, Jorge Almirón took charge of San Lorenzo and while the task ahead is clear it was an encouraging start for El Ciclón as they battled to a point against a Vélez Sarsfield side that has proved tough to beat at the Estadio José Amalfitani.
San Lorenzo hadn’t kept a clean sheet this season under Claudio Biaggio and although a little luck was needed to see that Vélez didn’t score on Monday, there was already a semblance of structure and shoots of optimism.
Fresh from his brace against Defensa y Justicia last week, Thiago Almada was again at the centre of Vélez’s attacking play and never afraid to shoot the 17-year-old came within a whisker of breaking the deadlock with a glorious curling effort that came back off the post.
Lucas Robertone would also clip the woodwork with a free-kick but that isn’t to say that San Lorenzo didn’t also have their chances. Nicolás Reneiro forced Alexander Domínguez into a reflex stop with a close range header as both sides searched for an opener.
Thirteen matches without defeat in Liniers now for Vélez and while Gabriel Heinze ponders how to improve his side’s away form, opposite number Almirón seeks further improvements to turn San Lorenzo’s season around.
Vélez Sarsfield 0 – 0 San Lorenzo
And finally in rain-soaked Rosario, Defensa y Justicia managed to extend their unbeaten run in the Superliga but were unable to secure three points from a determined Newell’s Old Boys.
Héctor Fértoli came closest to opening the scoring when his finish at the end of a first half counter struck the post but as the weather worsened, it was the two goalkeepers that shone.
Alan Aguerre and Ezequiel Unsain made a string of saves as torrential rain fell at the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa and with the pitch increasingly poor, both sides struggled.
Nicolás Fernández on another evening could have won it for Defensa y Justicia but the draw was fair and with it the undefeated Halcón sit seven points off Racing with two game still in-hand.
golazo argentino 