The seventh round of the Professional League Cup ended
.
And, contrary to the fans' beliefs,
it was not a big deal to be a local on the date of the
Argentine soccer classics.
Not to mention, if we analyze "pure duels".
The fact is that, of the
seven duels that can be considered historic that were played during the weekend, there were five draws and two visiting victories
: that of the Academies,
Racing
and
Rosario Central,
who together with Godoy Cruz (who does not stop adding to three) were the big winners of a day of pure emotion.
Thus, the standings show that three of the so-called 'big five' are in the qualifying zone, but
Boca
and
San Lorenzo
are still struggling to reach the quarterfinals.
On Saturday, the match that paralyzed Córdoba between
Belgrano
and
Talleres
was an electrifying 2 to 2. They played for everything that was missing in Parque Patricios, where
Huracán
and
San Lorenzo
bored with their 0-0.
The four, beyond the nuances of each result, were left out of the qualifying zone for the next instance.
One of the few that was able to fully celebrate was Racing, with a triumph in the Avellaneda classic away to Independiente.
Adrián Maravilla Martínez was the scorer of the goal for the Academy, which finished on Sunday in third place in zone B, with 13 points.
El Rojo, meanwhile, continues as the momentary leader (also with 13 units) in zone A, waiting for what Argentinos Juniors does on Monday against Platense.
In La Plata there was an entertaining but goalless match between Gimnasia and Estudiantes, which kept Pincha in the classification zone and made Lobo move away a little, even with many teams with little margin of points.
PHOTO MARCELO CARROLL - Clarín
The 1-1 of the Superclásico at the Monumental could have gone better for River from the top of the table, because it reached Independiente, affirmed itself in the classification zone and left Xeneize still out, one game away from Lanús (which has 13).
Granate precisely suffered the agonizing equality of Banfield, one of the four teams that has not yet been able to win in the League Cup.
The two remained with the same average, thinking about the fight for permanence, still with five teams below the red zone.
And the other 'classic' triumph was in Rosario, where Central stomped at the Coloso Marcelo Bielsa stadium to beat Newell's, getting closer but still out of the Playoffs to be able to defend the title it won at the end of 2023.
Photo: Juan José García
In the rest of the interzonals, Barracas Central returned to equality in Junín against Sarmiento and already has 12 points, so it could finish exactly half of the tournament in zone A classification positions.
Unión displayed all its effectiveness against Independiente Rivadavia de Mendoza, a victory that gives it air in the average table and excites it in the Cup.
And last, but not least, is the undefeated leader of the championship, who has not even conceded a goal in the seven games he played.
Godoy Cruz de Mendoza reaffirms himself as a candidate, although he rotates his squad because his entry to the group stage of the Copa Libertadores is at stake (he must overcome the series against Colo Colo in Chile).
In Varela, Defensa y Justicia tied 1-1 with Deportivo Riestra, in a match where they were more than their rival, but it was still not enough to win.
Argentinos Juniors brought out all their charm and defeated Platense 3-1 in the typical neighborhood duel.
El Bicho passed River and reached 14 points to lead Zone A alone.
In Liniers, Tigre, the only team without a goal in the League Cup until yesterday, came back in the game against Vélez and scored two goals in four minutes so that the match ended 2-2.
Finally, in the Norte Central classic Córdoba and Atlético Tucumán closed the classics date with a sad goalless draw.
Without a doubt, a result that complicates the Dean's outlook for what is to come, as he remains committed to the relegation zone.
This is the annual table of the 2024 Professional League
This is the table of averages for the 2024 Professional League
Infographics: Clarín