Gimnasia M. edge past home side in La Plata thriller
Gimnasia M. secured a 2:3 victory over Gimnasia La Plata at the Estadio Juan Carmelo Serillo on 22 August, moving them closer to safety in the Clausura standings. The visiting side had to weather a storm early on, conceding twice in the first half before pulling level after the interval. Agustín Modica was the difference-maker for the visitors, netting three times to single-handedly turn the match on its head.
The home side dominated possession but struggled to break down a resolute defence. Modica opened the scoring in the seventeenth minute before doubling the visitors' advantage just before the break. Auzmendi pulled one back for Gimnasia La Plata early in the second half, and Zalazar levelled the score shortly after. Modica then struck again in the seventy-sixth minute to restore the visitors' lead, and that proved to be the decisive moment.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Gimnasia La Plata held 57 per cent of the ball and created more attacks, but the visitors were more clinical with their chances. The home side registered 14 shots with five on target and an expected goals figure of 1.48, while Gimnasia M. managed six shots on target from 12 attempts against an xG of 1.98. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging, and here it was the visitors who made their opportunities count.
Both managers made changes to try and shift the momentum. Gimnasia La Plata brought on Juan Cruz Cortazzo in the forty-third minute and later tried to find a winner with fresh legs. The visitors responded with a triple substitution in the eighty-first minute, bringing on Cingolani and O'Connor alongside Fernandez to see out the final minutes. Three yellow cards were shown in total, with Antonini and Modica among those cautioned.
The result leaves Gimnasia La Plata in sixth place with 26 points from 16 games, while Gimnasia M. remain in eleventh with 19 points. The visitors had won their previous match 3:1 against Talleres Cordoba, and this victory extended their momentum going into the final weeks of the tournament. The home side's recent form has been mixed, with that 0:4 defeat to Estudiantes de La Plata still fresh in memory.
What stands out is not the possession figures but the efficiency in the final third. Gimnasia La Plata created two big chances but could not convert them when it mattered most. The visitors, with fewer attacks and less territory, punished them from their opportunities. The match will be remembered for Modica's performance rather than the statistics, which is how football should be judged.