Maxi Moralez golazo vs Libertad, Copa Libertadores 2011
On 18 May 2011 Argentine league leaders Vélez Sársfield travelled to Paragauy to play Libertad in the quarter-finals of Copa Libertadores 2011. The Argentine side were defending a comfortable 3-0 lead from the first leg but Libertad were determined to make a good game of, taking the lead twice only to see Maxi Moralez equalise both goals. His second equaliser came about after this wonderful team move. Vélez bagged a couple more goals late in the game for a 2-4 win on the night and an impressive 7-2 aggregate victory.
Patricio Rodríguez vs Olimpo, Clausura 2011 Argentina
On 15 May 2011 Independiente faced a tough looking trip to Bahía Blanca to play Olimpo in the 14th round of the Clausura 2011 tournament in Argentina. The two sides were involved in the battle to avoid finishing in the relegation places and a win for Olimpo would have lifted them out of the drop zone and above River Plate and Independiente however the reds recorded only their second away win in 22 games against Argentine opposition thanks to this spectacular individual effort from man-of-the-match Patrico Rodríguez.
Juan Pablo Carrizo own goal vs Boca Juniors, Clausura 2011
On 15 May 2011 Boca Juniors hosted River Plate in the famous Superclásico derby. The visitors were under an enormous amount of pressure lying only one place above the relegation zone, their goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo couldn't have found a worse moment to make one of the biggest errors of his career by knocking a harmless looking cross into is own net. Boca Juniors legendary all time top scorer Martín Palermo scored a second goal to secure the 2-0 win.
For more crazy South American football check out the rest of the Cosas locas series.
Emmanuel Gigliotti vs Arsenal, Clausura 2011
On 14 May 2011 Emmanuel Gigliotti scored this brilliant goal to give All Boys a 1-0 win against Arsenal de Sarandí, a result that virtually guarantees their Primera División survival.
Fecha 14 Clausura 2011 Argentina
Details of the 14th round of games in the Clausura 2011 tournament.
All of the video highlights are available by scrolling down to the Results section and clicking on the red scores.
Preview
Match reports
On Friday night Godoy Cruz closed to within one point of the leaders with a 2-0 home win against Quilmes, Ruben Ramirez and Diego Villar scored the goals in the first half. The visitors never looked like the side that had recorded spectacular high scoring away wins against Vélez and Banfield in their two previos away games and consequently lost their five game unbeaten record and slipped back to averaging less than a point a game in the relegation table.
Claudio Graf and Alejandro Capurro scored the goals to give Gimnasia a 2-0 home win against Banfield ending a run of six home games against Banfield without a win or even a goal since they last won this fixture back in 2003. After 3 consecutive defeats Banfield have slipped down from 6th place after Fecha 11 down to 15th place after fecha 14.
Argentinos Juniors kept their faint title and Copa Sudamericana qualification hopes alive with a 1-2 away win against San Lorenzo. It was a high quality game featuring three quality goals in the first half. Emilio Hernández put Argentinos ahead after seven minutes by taking the ball past the keeper and lobbing it into the net. Leandro Romagnoli equalised for San Lorenzo with a cracking shot from outside the area but Germán Busualdo hit what turned out to be the winning goal in first half injury time.
All Boys took another step towards Primera División survival with a 1-0 win against Arsenal. Emmanuel Gigliotti scored the only goal of the game with a stunning long range strike.
Huracán stayed in deep relegation trouble after a 3-0 demolition by Colón in Santa Fe. Damián Diaz scored twice for the hosts either side of a goal for veteran striker and club legend Esteban Fuertes.
Racing Club managed a convincing 3-0 home win against bottom of the table Newell's Old Boys. Teó Gutíerrez bagged a couple of goals to join Tigre's Denis Straqualursi as the tournament's top goalscorer so far on nine.
On Sunday Estudiantes played their eleventh consecutive game without a win, only managing a 2-2 home draw against relegation threatened Tigre however they can take positives from the game having scored for the first time in six. Gata Fernández scored the opening goal with a cool penalty in first half injury time, Ramiro Leone equalised, Enzo Pérez put Estudiantes back in front but Mariano Echeverria equalised again to bag a valuable away point for Tigre.
Boca Juniors recorded a dominant 2-0 win in the Superclásico leaving River Plate perilously close to the relegation zone. Juan Pablo Carrizo scored an incredible own goal to put Boca ahead and Martín Palermo continued his rich goalscoring form with his 4th goal in 4 games to make it 2-0.
After River Plate's defeat Olimpo had the opportunity to climb out of the relegation table and close in on the leaders Vélez and Godoy Cruz but they didn't make the best of the chance losing 1-2 at home to Independiente. Facundo Parra scored the opening goal shortly after half time and man of the match Patricio Rodríguez secured the win for Independiente with a brilliant individual goal on the counter attack on 88 minutes. Substitute Juan Furch scored an injury time consolation goal for Olimpo but it was not enough.
In the last game of the weekend Lanús secured a vital 3-2 win against leaders Velez Sársfield to move up into 3rd position in the table. They had to come from behind twice after Davíd Ramírez scored first half goals for the visitors. Lucas Hoyos scored the first equaliser and Diego Valeri scored the second equaliser before half time. In the second half Silvio Romero scored the winning goal for the hosts to move them to within four points of the leaders and extend their unbeaten run to 8 games.
Results
| 13-05-11 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Godoy Cruz | 2-0 | Quilmes |
| 14-05-11 | ||
| Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 2-0 | Banfield |
| San Lorenzo | 1-2 | Argentionos Juniors |
| All Boys | 1-0 | Arsenal |
| Colón | 3-0 | Huracán |
| Racing Club | 3-0 | Newell's Old Boys |
| 15-05-11 | ||
| Estudiantes | 2-2 | Tigre |
| Boca Juniors | 2-0 | River Plate |
| Olimpo | 1-2 | Independiente |
| Lanús | 3-2 | Vélez Sársfield |
Positions
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vélez Sársfield | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 27 | 14 | +13 | 27 | |
| 2 | Godoy Cruz | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 26 | 21 | +5 | 26 | |
| 3 | Lanús | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 23 | |
| 4 | Olimpo | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 25 | 20 | +5 | 22 | |
| 5 | Racing | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 22 | |
| 6 | Argentinos Juniors | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 22 | |
| 7 | River Plate | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 22 | |
| 8 | Boca Juniors | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 21 | |
| 9 | Tigre | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 20 | 18 | +2 | 20 | |
| 10 | Colón | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 19 | −2 | 20 | |
| 11 | San Lorenzo | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 19 | |
| 12 | Independiente | 14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 19 | 16 | +3 | 19 | |
| 13 | Estudiantes | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 19 | |
| 14 | All Boys | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 14 | −3 | 19 | |
| 15 | Banfield | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 18 | |
| 16 | Gimnasia (La Plata) | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 18 | −3 | 15 | |
| 17 | Arsenal | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 19 | −1 | 14 | |
| 18 | Quilmes | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 23 | −5 | 13 | |
| 19 | Huracán | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 27 | −13 | 11 | |
| 20 | Newell's Old Boys | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 13 | 30 | −17 | 8 |
Show de goles
For more South American football highlights, including the Brazilian league, the pick of the rest and international tournaments:
2011 Copa Libertadores cuartos (Quarter-finals)
Overview
After enduring a lot of crowing from Brazilians and Brazilian football supporters about the fact that five of their teams had progressed to the last 16 while no more than 2 from any other country had made it, it was a delight to see 4 of their teams eliminated on Brazilian Black Wednesday.
After Argentina, Colombia and Mexico also lost one representative each the quarter final set up became one of the most diverse in the history of international club football with the eight participants coming from seven different countries. The only country to provide two representatives was surprisingly Paraguay after Cerro Porteño eliminated Estudiantes on Penalties and Libertad pulled of a brilliant comeback against Fluminense.
Cerro's reward wasa tie against Jaguares of Mexico and Libertad ended up with possibly the toughest draw of all; a game against Vélez Sársfield who are in a brilliant run of form and sit at the top of the Argentine Primerá.
Santos were the only remaining Brazilian side and they faced a tough test against Colombian champions and 2004 winners Once Caldas who surpisingly eliminated Cruzeiro (who were undoubtedly the best team in the group stages) on their own pitch.
The last quarter final pitched two more teams that eliminated Brazilian sides in the last 16. Chilean champions Universidad Cátolica and five time Copa Libertadores champions Peñarol of Uruguay.
Results
| 12-05-11 | ||
|---|---|---|
Vélez Sársfield  | 3-0 | Libertad  |
| 18-05-11 | ||
| Libertad | 2-4 | Vélez Sársfield |
| Winner: Vélez Sársfield | ||
Vélez Sársfield won the first leg 3-0, Maxi Moralez scored the first goal and then Libertad goalkeeper Tobiás Vargas gifted Juan Manuel Martínez a couple of goals, the first by giving away a needless penalty and the second by letting the shot squirm under his body into the net.
Vélez secured their progression to the semi-finals with an impressive 2-4 away win in the return leg. Libertad made a decent game of it but Maxi Moralez scored equalisers each time the home side put themselves ahead in the tie. The second Vélez equaliser was a brilliantly crafted team goal. Late in the game Guillermo Franco and Augusto Fernández bagged another couple of goals to give the Argentines a famous 7-2 aggregate win.
| 11-05-11 | ||
|---|---|---|
Once Caldas  | 0-1 | Santos  |
| 18-05-11 | ||
| Santos | 1-1 | Once Caldas |
| Winner: Santos | ||
Alan Patrick scored the only goal of the game to give Santos a valuable away win against Once Caldas in the first leg. Neymar scored early in the second leg two give the Brazilians a two goal advantage but Wason Rentería equalised after 30 minutes. Santos managed to hold on to their slender advantage for the rest of the game when a single Once Caldas away goal would have been enough to send the Colombians through instead.
| 11-05-11 | ||
|---|---|---|
Peñarol  | 2-0 | Universidad Cátolica  |
| 19-05-11 | ||
| Universidad Cátolica | 2-1 | Peñarol |
| Winner: Peñarol | ||
Two terrible handling errors from UC goalkeeper Paulo Garces gifted Peñarol a 2-0 advantage in the first leg but Universidad Cátolica were left with some hope as they would have home advantage in the second leg and have shown that they have the firepower to score planty of goals against very strong opposition on their day.
The second leg was a fantastic game. Universidad Cátolica scored twice to cancel out Peñarol's two goal lead from the first leg, Fernando Meneses opened the scoring after some good holdup play and an exceptional pass from Argentine forward Lucas Pratto and Roberto Gutíerrez scored the second with a decent turn and a cracking long range strike. The game looked to be heading for a penalty shootout until Fabián Estoyanoff snuck in at the back post to tap in the decisive goal in the 85th minute to ensure Penñarol's first appearance in the Copa Libertadores semi-finals since they last won the tournament back in 1987.
| 12-05-11 | ||
|---|---|---|
Jaguares  | 1-1 | Cerro Porteño |
| 19-05-11 | ||
| Cerro Porteño | 1-0 | Jaguares |
| Winner: Cerro Porteño | ||
Cerro Porteño came away from their trip to Mexico with a useful 1-1 draw. Argentine midfielder Jonathan Fabbro put the visitors a goal ahead after 73 minutes but Michael Pedroza headed a potentially vital equaliser for Jaguares in injury time.
In the second leg Cerro Porteño bagged a 1-0 win to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 1999 thanks to a 70th minute goal from Pedro Benítez who took advantage of some shambolic defending from Jaguares to head the decisive goal of the tie.
Fecha 14 Clausura 2011 - Preview and predictions
Preview and predictions for the 14th round of games in the Clausura 2011 tournament.
Preview
Last week I got a poor score of 3/10 correct results and 0/10 exact scores.
In the first game of the weekend struggling Huracán face a trip to Santa Fe to play against Colón. The visitors are without a win in six games, slipping perilously close to the automatic relegation zone and have not beaten Colón in Santa Fe since a 2-4 win back in 2002. Colón have the worst home record in the division having only picked up one win and one draw in seven games.
Quilmes failed to win last weekend but they are still the league's form team over the last four games with 10 points. On Friday night they face Godoy Cruz in Mendoza province. The home team have suffered a number of slip-ups in home games this year but the only other time this fixture has been played in the Primera División they ran out comfortable 3-0 winners back in 2007.
There was no shame in Banfield's late defeat to runaway league leaders last weekend but they will need to get something from their trip to La Plata to play Gimnasia in order to avoid three consecutive defeats. Banfield have a brilliant recent record at El Bosque having kept clean sheets in all of their last six league games there since their last defeat back in 2003.
San Lorenzo have recovered from the departure of manager Ramón Diaz with a win and a draw under the caretaker team, this weekend they host Argentinos Juniors who lost 0-2 last weekend but still have the best defensive record in the division (7 goals conceded in 13 games).
All Boys must be on a high after their first win at El Monumental since 1973 moved them well clear of the relegation zone although they are still the league's lowest scoring side with only 10 goals in 13 games. This weekend they host Arsenal who experienced their first home defeat in 9 games last weekend and their first away win in 11 games the weekend before.
Racing Club are probably the division's most inconsistant side but they should be able to bag a home win against bottom of the table Newell's Old Boys.
Estudiantes are trapped in their worst run of form in years having failed to win any of their last 10 games and not even scored a goal in their last five games. Their visitors Tigre have clambered away from the drop zone with 8 points in their last four games having scored nine goals in the process. All the stats point to a Tigre win however the last time they beat Estudiantes in La Plata was back in 1941. I'll be bold and go for the away win although I get the feeling that I'm going to regret not saying draw.
Only one win for River Plate in their last four games combined with good results for the teams around them have left them perilously close to the relegation zone again. They are under a huge amount of pressure and their next game is the most famous derby in South American football the superclásico against Boca Juniors on Sunday. After a pathetic start to the Clausura Boca have come into form and are rising up the table, they have only lost 1 of their last 7 games and iconic striker Martín Palermo is back in goalscoring form with 3 in his last 3 appearances.
Olimpo are in 3rd place in the table but still find themselves in the relegation places thanks to the oddities of the Argentine promedios relegation system. This weekend they host Independiente who have not won in their last four matches. A win would certainly lift Olimpo away from from the relegation places given that 3 points are worth 0.0789 points to them but only 0.0263 to the established teams around them.
Lanús are unbeaten in their last 7 matches but this weekend they face a visit from runaway league leaders Vélez Sársfield who have won their last five games and are unbeaten in their last 7 away games.
Predictions
As the results come in I will fill in the actual scores and colour code the predicted scores, green for exact score, yellow for correct result and red for completely wrong. Each green score gets three points, each yellow score gets one point and red scores get nothing. If you fancy playing along fill out your predictions in the comments below to see if you can beat mine.
| 13-05-11 | Prediction | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Godoy Cruz | 2-0 | Quilmes | 2-3 |
| 14-05-11 | |||
| Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 2-0 | Banfield | 0-1 |
| San Lorenzo | 1-2 | Argentinos Juniors | 0-0 |
| All Boys | 1-0 | Arsenal | 0-0 |
| Colón | 3-0 | Huracán | 2-0 |
| Racing Club | 3-0 | Newell's Old Boys | 4-1 |
| 15-05-11 | |||
| Estudiantes | 2-2 | Tigre | 0-1 |
| Boca Juniors | 2-0 | River Plate | 2-2 |
| Olimpo | 1-2 | Independiente | 4-2 |
| Lanús | 3-2 | Vélez Sársfield | 1-1 |
Score: 2 Points, another rubbish effort. A monkey pulling random balls out of a bag would probably have done better.
Fecha 13 Clausura 2011 Argentina
Details of the 13th round of games in the Clausura 2011 tournament.
All of the video highlights are available by scrolling down to the Results section and clicking on the red scores.
Preview
Match reports
The first game of the fecha featured bottom of the table Newell's Old Boys and free scoring Mendoza outfit Godoy Cruz. Newell's slumped to yet another defeat as Godoy Cruz made up for their embarassing 1-4 home defeat to Arsenal the previous weekend. Leandro Sigali and Mariano Donda put the visitors two goals ahead in the first half. Leandro Velázquez hit an 89th minute to spark hopes of a late Newell's fightback but Carlos Sánchez bagged another goal for the visitors in injury time to seure a 1-3 win and the three points they needed in order to climb up into second place behind leaders Vélez.
The early kickoff on Saturday featured the two sides occupying the automatic relegation places. Quilmes had started the Clausura without a win in their opening nine games but three consecutive wins had raised their hopes of survival. Quilmes' opponents were Gimnasia who were playing their first game since the resignation of manager Angel Cappa. The game ended 2-2 which did neither side much good in their relegation battles. Pablo Velázquez opened the scoring for Quilmes but two awful defensive errors either side of half time gifted Gimnasia the lead. Enzo Kalinski scrambled an equaliser for the hosts to maintain their 5 game unbeaten run.
the next game featured Huracán and Olimpo, the two teams in the relegation playoff positions. The visitors Olimpo had the chance to go third with a win but Roberto Brum got himself sent off in the first half to make things more difficult. Diego Galván scored early in the first half for the ten men but Huracán's outstanding player in a terrible season Javier Cámpora equalised a few minutes later. The game seemed to be heading for a draw until Néstor Bareiro scored an injury time winner for Olimpo. there was still time for Alejandro Peña to get sent off before the end. Their 1-2 win meant that Olimpo climbed up to third in the table but still occupied the final relegation playoff place.
Tigre completely dominated their game against Colón winning 3-0 to end Colón's incredible unbeaten away record in the Clausura. Diego Morales scored a couple of goals either side of a header from the league top scorer Denis Straqualursi. The result shifted them further away from the relegation zone and helped them move up into the top half of the table and establish a positive goal difference too.
In the last game on Saturday Racing Club recorded a 1-2 win in Sarandí to end Arsenal's 8 game unbeaten run at home. Valentín Viola and Patricio Toranzo got the goals for the visitors and Gustavo Aluztiza pulled one back for Arsenal late in the game.
Estudiantes endured their 10th game without a win after a 0-0 draw with Lanús, who are now unbeaten in their last seven games. Mario Regueiro was sent of for the hosts after 64 minutes but Estudiantes could not take advantage and have now failed to score in five consecutive games.
Argentinos Juniors missed their chance to close in on the leaders losing 0-2 at home against Boca Juniors. The veteran pair Martín Palermo and Juan Román Riquelme bagged the goals in a complete reversal of the scoreline from back in the Apertura.
River Plate also failed to put pressure on Vélez with a 0-2 home defeat to All Boys. The result lifts all Boys well away from the relegation zone and leave River Plate 0.019 points above the relegation zone. Emmanuel Gigliotti scored in the first half and Juan Pablo Rodríguez secured the famous away win for All Boys win with a second goal on the counter attack from a River Plate corner kick deep into injury time.
In the last game on Sunday Independiente drew 1-1 with San Lorenzo. Facundo Parra opened the scoring for the hosts but Juan Manuel Sulgueiro equalised for San Lorenzo early in the second half.
In the last game of the round leaders Vélez Sársfield extended their lead at the top of the division to four points with a 2-0 win against Banfield.The visitors held out well and the game seemed to be heading for a goalless draw despite all of Vélez Sársfield's second half pressure unil Fabian Cubero scored in the 82nd minute. Davíd Ramírez bagged a second goal for Vélez in injury time to add some gloss to the scoreline.
Results
| 06-05-11 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Newell's Old Boys | 1-3 | Godoy Cruz |
| 07-05-11 | ||
| Quilmes | 2-2 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) |
| Huracán | 1-2 | Olimpo |
| Tigre | 3-0 | Colón |
| Arsenal | 1-2 | Racing Club |
| 08-05-11 | ||
| Lanús | 0-0 | Estudiantes |
| Argentinos Juniors | 0-2 | Boca Juniors |
| River Plate | 0-2 | All Boys |
| Independiente | 1-1 | San Lorenzo |
| 09-05-11 | ||
| Vélez Sársfield | 2-0 | Banfield |
Positions
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vélez Sársfield | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 11 | +14 | 27 | |
| 2 | Godoy Cruz | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 24 | 21 | +3 | 23 | |
| 3 | Olimpo | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 22 | |
| 4 | River Plate | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 22 | |
| 5 | Lanús | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 10 | +5 | 20 | |
| 6 | Argentinos Juniors | 13 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 19 | |
| 7 | Racing | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 19 | |
| 8 | Tigre | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 19 | |
| 9 | San Lorenzo | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 10 | +5 | 19 | |
| 10 | Estudiantes | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 13 | −1 | 18 | |
| 11 | Boca Juniors | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 18 | |
| 12 | Banfield | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 17 | −2 | 18 | |
| 13 | Colón | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 19 | −5 | 17 | |
| 14 | Independiente | 13 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 15 | +2 | 16 | |
| 15 | All Boys | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 14 | −4 | 16 | |
| 16 | Arsenal | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 14 | |
| 17 | Quilmes | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 21 | −3 | 13 | |
| 18 | Gimnasia (La Plata) | 13 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 18 | −5 | 12 | |
| 19 | Huracán | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 24 | −10 | 11 | |
| 20 | Newell's Old Boys | 13 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 27 | −14 | 8 |
Show de goles
For more South American football highlights, including the Brazilian league, the pick of the rest and international tournaments:
Fecha 13 Clausura 2011 - Preview and predictions
Preview and predictions for the 13th round of games in the Clausura 2011 tournament.
Preview
Last week I scored eight points with two exact scorelines and another two correct results with a mixture of gut instinct and statistical analysis. Hopefully I can match or beat that score this week.
Godoy Cruz have never won in their three previous Primera División visits to Newell's Old Boys however the omens are not good for the home team. Bottom of the table Newell's have only picked up five points from their six home games in the Clausura while Godoy Cruz are the fourth strongest away team so far this season.
The clash between the bottom two sides in the relegation table; Quilmes and Gimnasia y Esgrima is almost certainly the most important game so far this season for either of them. The home side Quilmes have gone from the worst form in the division at the beginning of the Clausura (nine games without a win) to the best (three consecutive wins) and another win would lift them within touching distance of their opponents. Gimnasia are without a win in their last six games and have only managed one win in their last 19 away games. Their poor form cost manager Angel Cappa his job after their 1-2 home defeat to bottom side Newell's Old Boys last weekend, former Gimnasia player Darío Ortíz has been appointed as the new manager.
Immediately after the two teams occupying the automatic relegation places face off, the two teams in the relegation playoff positions play. Olimpo have had a great Clausura so far, nobody would have expected them to be up in 4th place having only lost three of their twelve games so far. They face a trip to Parque Patricios to face Huracán who have been trapped in a dismal run of form, they are second bottom of the table, have only picked up one point from their last five games and have conceded three goals in each of the four defeats.
The game between Tigre and Colón is fairly intreguing, with Tigre having a fairly strong home record (3 defeats in 14) and Colón having the best away record in the Clausura (13 points from 5 games). Colón have only ever won one of their five top flight games away at Tigre back in 2007.
The last game on Saturday features Arsenal and Racing Club. Last weekend Arsenal broke their run of ten away games without a win with a confidence building 1-4 win at Godoy Cruz while Racing Club lost at home against River Plate. Despite their lowly league position Arsenal have an impressive home record having avoided defeat for 8 consecutive home games (4 wins & 4 draws). One thing counting in Racing Club's favour is the fact that Arsenal have not experienced a home league win against their giant local rivals since a 1-0 victory back in february 2006.
Lanús play Estudiantes in the early kick off on Sunday and the two sides could hardly have more contrasting form. Estudiantes suffered elimination on penalties from the Copa Libertadores in midweek, their 9th game without a win while Lanús have quitly crept up to 5th the table with a sequence of six games without defeat however they have only won 1 of their last 7 home games against Estudiantes (a 1-0 win back in Apertura 2007).
Argentinos Juniors are the Clausura's draw secialists with seven ties in their twelve games so far and they also boast the tightest defence in the division having only conceded five goals so far. Their visitors Boca Juniors have experienced a slight improvement in form having avoided defeat in their last 3 games, and Martín Palermo has rediscovered his goalscoring touch with two goals in their last two games. This is a tough one to call as Boca Juniors have picked up a decent 9 points from their 6 away games with three wins and three defeats. The last three times Boca visited El Paternal they came away with draws but they have not drawn an away league game since December.
The result of the River Plate and All Boys game could still have implications in the relegation survival fight with both sides hovering just above the safety line however River will be hoping to increase the pressure on league leaders Vélez with a win. There is obviously little statistical information to be gleaned from previous encounters between these two sides at El Monumental given that the last time this fixture was played it resulted in a 5-0 win for the home team back in July 1980, long before many of the current players were even born. I am fairly confident that this will be a low scoring game as All Boys have the weakest attacking lineup in the division with only 8 goals so far, River are also averaging less than a goal a game and also have a strong defensive record having only shipped 6 goals in 12 games.
The last game on Sunday is the Clásico between Independiente and San Lorenzo. Both sides are badly underperforming, Independiente are in the bottom half of the table and have not won in three games and San Lorenzo dropped away from the title fight with a six game winless run that cost manager Ramón Diaz his job however they recovered to inflict a 3-0 derby defeat on their hapless local rivals Huracán last weekend. Independiente have only won 1 of their last 10 home league games against San Lorenzo, a 1-0 win in February 2006 and they have endured three consecutive defeats in this fixture since then. A San Lorenzo win seems likely and I am anticipating a high scoring game for some reason, there are few stats to back me up on it though.
The last game of the round sees league leaders and Argentina's only remaining Copa Libertadores representatives Vélez Sársfield host Banfield. The visitors have picked up a few draws at Velez in recent years but have to look back to 2003 to find their last league win there. Other than their shock home defeat to a resurgent Quilmes side Vélez have been in fine form for the last 13 games picking up 10 wins and 2 draws in all competitions.
Predictions
As the results come in I will fill in the actual scores and colour code the predicted scores, green for exact score, yellow for correct result and red for completely wrong. Each green score gets three points, each yellow score gets one point and red scores get nothing. If you fancy playing along fill out your predictions in the comments below to see if you can beat mine.
| 06-05-11 | Prediction | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Newell's Old Boys | 1-3 | Godoy Cruz | 1-2 |
| 07-05-11 | |||
| Quilmes | 2-2 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 2-0 |
| Huracán | 1-2 | Olimpo | 1-3 |
| Tigre | 3-0 | Colón | 2-2 |
| Arsenal | 1-2 | Racing Club | 2-1 |
| 08-05-11 | |||
| Lanús | 0-0 | Estudiantes | 1-0 |
| Argentinos Juniors | 0-2 | Boca Juniors | 0-0 |
| River Plate | 0-2 | All Boys | 1-0 |
| Independiente | 1-1 | San Lorenzo | 2-3 |
| 09-05-11 | |||
| Vélez Sársfield | 2-0 | Banfield | 3-1 |
Score: 3 Points. Things started off pretty well with two correct results in the first three predictions but a run of six consecutive misses wrecked the card. The only salvation was that I predicted the last game correctly to avoid registering my second worst score ever.
Fecha 12 Clausura 2011 Argentina
Details of the twelfth round of games in the Clausura 2011 tournament.
All of the video highlights are available by scrolling down to the Results section and clicking on the red scores.
Preview
Match reports
The first two games featured wins for the bottom two in the Clausura. First up Newell's Old Boys recorded their first away win in sixteen attempts coming from a goal behind to secura a 1-2 victory against Gimnasia y Esgrima in La Plata. It was their seventh consecutive win against Gimnasia in the Primera División but the three points were still not enough to shift them off the bottom of the table.
The second game on Friday night was a classic featuring the two form teams in the division, Banfield and visitors Quilmes were the only sides to have won both of their last two games. Quilmes won the game 3-4 and having won three in a row with relegation rivals Gimnasia and Huracán floundering above them in the promedios table it is beginning to look as is manager Caruso Lombardi could do the seemingly impossible and save them from automatic relegation.
San Lorenzo reacted well to the departure of manager Ramón Diaz with a convincing 3-0 win in the clásico porteño against Huracán, their first win in six matches. With a tally of only one point from their last five games Huracán remain in serious relegation trouble and with the resurgence of Quilmes automatic relegation is becoming a more realistic threat.
All Boys and Argentinos Juniors played out a predictable 0-0 draw. All Boys have the weakest attack with only eight goals so far and Argentinos are second weakest with only ten, they also have the best defensive record and are the division's draw specialists with seven draws from their twelve games so far.
River Plate beat Racing Club 0-1 with a first half Mariano Pavone penalty. River have managed the impressive feat of moving to the top of the Primera División table despite averaging less than a goal a game so far in the Clausura. Things are not going well for Racing after their strong start to the season, thay have now only won one of their last seven games, the 2-0 victory in the Avellaneda derby back in Fecha 10.
Godoy Cruz missed their chance to go top of the table suffering a 1-4 home defeat to an Arsenal side that had failed to win ant of their last seven games. Lisandro López and Adrián González put Arsenal two goals ahead then Alvaro Navarro pulled one back in the first half. Mauro Obolo scored a pair of goals in the second half to secure Arsenal's biggest away win since a 2-6 thrashing of Lanús back in May 2008 and end their run of ten away games without a win. The worst thing from a Godoy Cruz perspective is that their single goal was brilliantly crafted while all four of Arsenal's goals came about through shambolic defending from the home team.
In the late game on Saturday Vélez Sársfield recorded their biggest ever away win against Estudiantes with a 0-4 thrashing to return to the top of the table. The result extended Estudiantes' winless run to eight games. Augusto Fernández continued his brilliant form with the opening goal and a wonderful assist for Maxi Moralez to put the visitors two goals ahead at half time. In the second half Rodrigo Braña was sent off for Estudiantes and Moralez scored his second of the game from the penalty spot. Substitute Davíd Ramírez bagged a fourth goal for Vélez to round off an emphatic victory.
On Monday Olimpo and Tigre drew 2-2 which does neither side much good in their battles to avoid relegation. Tigre will take the most positives from the game as they were away from home and with both of their goals Román Martínez demonstrated that there is someone other than Denis Straqualursi in their team capable of scoring. Straqualursi set him up with his first goal and his second was a wonderful individual effort chipping the keeper from around 30 yards out.
Colón continued their poor home form with a 0-1 defeat to Lanús who have quietly crept up to fifth in the table after a run of six games without defeat thanks to a diving header from Leandro Diaz.
In the last game of the round Boca Juniors could only manage a 1-1 home draw against Independiente, a team they have consistently dominated at home. Martín Palermo bagged an early goal for the home team with an excellent backheel but Lucas Villafáñez equalised for the visitors in the 77th minute. Both sides remain in the bottom half of the table.
Results
| 29-04-11 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 1-2 | Newell's Old Boys |
| Banfield | 3-4 | Quilmes |
| 30-04-11 | ||
| All Boys | 0-0 | Argentinos Juniors |
| San Lorenzo | 3-0 | Huracán |
| Racing Club | 0-1 | River Plate |
| Godoy Cruz | 1-4 | Arsenal |
| Estudiantes | 0-4 | Vélez Sársfield |
| 02-05-11 | ||
| Olimpo | 2-2 | Tigre |
| Colón | 0-1 | Lanús |
| Boca Juniors | 1-1 | Independiente |
Positions
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vélez Sársfield | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 11 | +12 | 24 | |
| 2 | River Plate | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 22 | |
| 3 | Godoy Cruz | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 21 | 20 | +1 | 20 | |
| 4 | Olimpo | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 22 | 17 | +5 | 19 | |
| 5 | Lanús | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 11 | +5 | 19 | |
| 6 | Argentinos Juniors | 12 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 19 | |
| 7 | San Lorenzo | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 18 | |
| 8 | Banfield | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 18 | |
| 9 | Estudiantes | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 13 | −1 | 17 | |
| 10 | Colón | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 16 | −2 | 17 | |
| 11 | Racing | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 16 | |
| 12 | Tigre | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 16 | −1 | 16 | |
| 13 | Independiente | 12 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 14 | +2 | 15 | |
| 14 | Boca Juniors | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 15 | −3 | 15 | |
| 15 | Arsenal | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 14 | |
| 16 | All Boys | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 13 | |
| 17 | Quilmes | 12 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 19 | −2 | 12 | |
| 18 | Gimnasia (La Plata) | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 16 | −5 | 11 | |
| 19 | Huracán | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 22 | −9 | 11 | |
| 20 | Newell's Old Boys | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 24 | −12 | 8 |
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