Atlético Tucumán said goodbye to the Apertura with a victory against Lanús, who await their opponent in the round of 16.
The match, it was expected, would not move the standings much. Atlético Tucumán was playing to complete the fixture, while Lanús was looking to improve its position and alternate players for its double competition. However, in stoppage time and with a suspenseful VAR, the Decano bowed out of the tournament with a win.
Lanús still doesn't know who it will face in the Apertura Tournament playoffs, but it will in the Sudamericana, when it plays Melgar in Peru on Tuesday. That's why the Granate team fielded a team in which only goalkeeper Nahuel Losada is a regular starter.
The Dean found victory in the final whistle, but had a good chance in the first half when Leandro Díaz —El Loco, who had a poor exit from Lanús—missed a penalty he himself had created. Nazareno Arasa made no mistake in taking it, but the forward managed to get caught in Leonel Cardozo 's attempt to take the ball away from him. He shot weakly, foreboding, and Losada blocked it.
El Loco came close again in the second half when he beat Losada in the air, who was torn between heading out of the box or standing on the line to take the shot. Ronaldo Dejesús saved him by clearing it before it went in.
The tie persisted, and when no one expected the score to change —Mateo Coronel tried to chip it in after a crazy Losada attack, but Ezequiel Muñoz tipped it out for a corner—the goal finally appeared.
It was in stoppage time when Adrián Sánchez delivered a superb pass to Franco Nicola , who was untouched by the ball and finished past the goalkeeper. They had to wait for the VAR decision because Arasa had initially been found offside. After a bit of waiting, the Decano ended up celebrating on the final day.
AGONICAL VICTORY FOR THE DEAN ⚽ With suspense and after a VAR check, Franco Nicola put Atlético Tucumán 1-0 up against Lanús
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