Defensores de Villelvas saw off Sarmiento Resistencia 4-1 in the Losers Stage of the Torneo Federal A on Sunday evening. The hosts moved five points clear of their visitors after a performance that was far more efficient than the possession figures suggested. To be fair, Sarmiento had the ball more often but rarely threatened the way they needed to.
G. Carballo opened the scoring in the thirty-sixth minute, tapping in after a well-worked move. G. Canete doubled the lead just after the interval, and J. Canario added a third in the seventieth. L. Larrasabal sealed the win in the eightieth, while M. Ibanez pulled one back for the visitors with a late consolation.
Defensores registered eight shots on target from ninety-one attacks, though their possession sat at forty-six per cent. Sarmiento enjoyed fifty-four per cent of the ball across one hundred and eighteen attacks but could only manage three shots on target. By then it was clear who had taken the chances on offer.
The victory moves Defensores to five points clear in fifth place on eight points from six games. Sarmiento remain eighth with six points from six matches, their four defeats leaving them struggling for consistency. The visitors had lost the reverse fixture earlier this season, and this result only deepened the gap.
Five points now separates the two sides after a match where the scoreline told the real story. Defensores showed they could punish a team that sat deep and soaked it up, while Sarmiento had nothing to do all evening in the final third. And here's the thing — in a knockout-style stage like this, margins are everything.