Barracas Central narrowly defeated Huracán and the table was set for a classic between Globo and San Lorenzo in the round of 16.
Although Huracán and Barracas Central reached the last round of 16, no one would have dared to predict they would be relaxed. And what we saw on the field confirmed this. It was an intense, hard-fought, and highly contested match that fell to Ruben Darío Insua's team, who focused more on defending than anything else.
Huracán's victory would have helped them climb from fourth to third place and secure home-field advantage, but they ended up suffering a defeat that could force them to face San Lorenzo on the road in the next round. If Tigre beat Boca Juniors, "the biggest neighborhood derby in the world" will be confirmed for the first round of the playoffs .
El Globo took the initiative early on and cornered El Guapo, who set up a five-man defensive line and engaged in a physical duel. The home side controlled the ball, using their advanced midfielders to move it from side to side, seeking to penetrate their opponent's ironclad defensive structure.
However, more due to his own shortcomings than to anyone else's, he struggled to get into the game. Barracas had the clearest chance of the first half: Kevin Jappert shot inside the box after a half-turn, the ball hitting both posts and falling to Hernán Galíndez. It appeared to bounce inside the goal, but VAR didn't call Nicolás Ramírez.
MIRACLE IN THE HURRICANE AREA Jappert hit it from outside and the ball hit both posts before the goalkeeper caught it
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Frank Darío Kudelka's team, who was sent off for repeatedly protesting to the referee, had a chance with a mid-range shot from Leonardo Gil that went just wide, and then with a one-on-one that Marcos Ledesma blocked from Eric Ramírez after a good combination with Agustín Urzi. But, once again, Gallego Insua's team were more poignant: four minutes into the second half, Jappert headed in a corner kick to make it 1-0.
THE HANDSOME STRIKE AT THE START OF THE SECOND HALF ⚽ Jappert won from above and put Barracas Central 1-0 up against Huracán
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Huracán was more aggressive in the second half, with Matías Tissera coming on after spending 28 days in detention for "attempted extortion." They added more dangerous chances amid interruptions due to projectiles falling from the stands. A free kick from Matko Miljevich forced a spectacular dive from Ledesma, and a goal ruled out for offside by Ramón Wanchope Ábila. However, Barracas once again had the clearest chance: Galíndez saved a hotly contested penalty from Iván Tapia.
Thus, El Guapo finished seventh and will face Independiente or River Plate. El Globo, meanwhile, could finish fourth or fifth and will face San Lorenzo, Deportivo Riestra, or Platense.
Clarin
