The end of the series in the Libertadores de América Ricardo Enrique Bochini is different from that of the last chapters.
There is no hissing curtain.
This time, it is sung by Independiente and the applause flows.
The anger is directed against Yael Falcón Pérez, who
received a very controversial penalty
.
The red mass is lost by Alsina with a little more optimism in the debut of Ricardo Zielinski.
Racing will have to value the tie.
Beyond the fact that he has a campus with a higher hierarchy than his neighbor, he could not weigh it down.
And a too ordinary second half, with little football and a lot of disorder, was held in the firmness of Leonardo Sigali.
From midfield forward, he almost didn't worry Rodrigo Rey.
He came from two consecutive defeats and could not lose the classic.
Passion in the stands, a reception commensurate with the magnitude of this match, with lots of color and red smoke.
Independiente needed to show another face to its people.
In particular, due to the expectation generated by the change of coach with the arrival of Zielinski.
Racing had everything clearer
, beyond the defeats it was dragging.
In this context, the first half was even.
With outstanding individuals, but irregular performance of one team or another.
Independiente thought about the duel from the well-known
Russian
recipe .
Order, intensity and direct game.
The 4-4-2 was not surprising, but it needed the imbalance of Mauricio Cuero.
On the right, the Colombian was a problem for Gabriel Rojas and Gonzalo Piovi.
Ahead, the double “9” with Martín Cauteruccio as spearhead disturbed the light blue and white defense, who stopped with Tomás Avilés starting from five, but getting into the cave to collaborate with the defenders.
Independiente and Racing played a controversial classic. Photo: Maxi Failla
And the first hit of the classic came that way.
A counterattack led by Cuero, a cross from behind by Matías Giménez and a fantastic definition by Cauteruccio.
Of course, the Uruguayan had time to lower the ball with his chest and shake it with a right hand that hit the post and left Gabriel Arias without a chance.
The visiting centrals were very passive.
Racing arrived at Bochini and Alsina with its usual 4-3-3 formation in which Fernando Gago chose Avilés as central midfielder, mainly due to his defensive predisposition, and Jonathan Gómez and Juan Nardoni as insiders.
However, the master key is always Matías Rojas.
And though he was vague at the start, almost in tune with the rest of his teammates, he showed the flashes of him.
From a corner from the Paraguayan, which Rey could not cut, the first of the
Academy
almost arrived .
However, Cauteruccio saved what would have been Gabriel Hauche's goal on the line.
And even at a disadvantage, Racing began to find facilities on the sides.
As the red midfield was crowded and the team very compact, he searched with the balls crossed.
He had two very clear chances before the tie.
First, Matías Rojas opened to the right and found the overflow of Facundo Mura.
Gómez finished off and the ball rose just above the crossbar.
Later, it was the other Rojas, Gabriel, who sent a past cross that Romero controlled, but his shot at point blank range was
notably
blocked by Rey.
The Russian had a good debut in front of the Red's public. Photo: Maxi Failla
Until Independent was wrong.
And the referee, so questioned by Racing fans
in the run-up for his work in the Municipality of Lanús, also left many doubts, a position he resigned when he learned that Néstor Grindetti would be the president of Independiente after the departure of Fabián Doman.
Gómez played long and Nicolás Vallejo pushed Mura at the door of the area.
In none of the images that the VAR reviewed clearly shows if the offense occurred inside the area.
It was to the limit.
Falcón Pérez had not hesitated and at the Ezeiza headquarters they endorsed his decision.
Matías Rojas exchanged the penalty for a goal.
Penalty from Independiente to Mura
Racing
did not have a good volume of play
because Gómez always asked for the ball, but it was not so clear.
Nardoni accompanied more in the first half, but was in charge of contention when Avilés was injured.
The only play produced by Racing was a mid-distance shot by Gabriel Rojas that Rey sent to the corner with the tips of his gloves.
Independiente was more intense in the second half.
He won the splits.
And the entry of Braian Martínez from the left gave him greater deployment and danger.
He pushed, forced Racing, but Independiente did not finish a play well and almost did not kick Arias's goal.
The tie, in short,
ended up being a business for both
.
Independiente still hasn't won (he hasn't won for eleven rounds), but he didn't falter at the beginning of his new coach's course.
Racing cut the string of falls, passed the classic without consequences, but needs to make a leap in quality.
The table: the Academy adds 18 and the Red 10
