Huracán and Atlético Tucumán played out a 0-0 draw in the Clausura round three of Argentina's professional league on Tuesday evening. The hosts dominated possession but could not find a way through a stubborn away side that deservedly took something from the match. By then, both teams had shown glimpses of their recent form — Huracán's inconsistency and Atlético Tucumán's slow climb back from a difficult start.
The first notable moment came in the twentieth minute when M. Villa collected a yellow card for Atlético Tucumán, one of three bookings for the visitors by the final whistle. Huracán had their own disciplinary issues, with L. Diaz and J. Caicedo both cautioned before the half-time break. Diaz was then substituted at the interval, perhaps a tactical decision rather than a disciplinary one.
And here's the thing about this match — Huracán controlled 65 per cent of the ball and launched 124 attacks, yet managed just one shot on target from fifteen attempts. Atlético Tucumán, with 35 per cent possession, registered three shots on target and carried a higher expected goals tally of 1.42 compared to the hosts' 0.9. The statistics tell a story of missed opportunities rather than dominance.
The substitutes told their own tale of a game that remained balanced. Huracán introduced E. Ojeda, J. Bisanz, F. Kalinger and L. Gil across the second half, while Atlético Tucumán brought on R. Ruiz and L. Vega among others. L. Vega received a yellow card in the sixtieth minute before being substituted himself at eighty-five — a curious choice that perhaps reflected the manager's desire to test fresh legs.
Huracán remain seventh in the table with twenty-two points from sixteen matches, sitting four points above Atlético Tucumán who occupy thirteenth place with fourteen points. The result does little to separate them, though it may have ended a brief streak of improvement for the visitors, who had won three of their last five before this match.
