Alem snatch victory after Risso penalty opener
Leandro N. Alem came from behind to defeat XX Urquiza 2:1 in the Primera C regular season on Monday evening, a result that shifts the balance in the lower half of the table. The visitors, sitting 13th with 28 points, took all three from a side in 12th place on 29 points, and here's the thing — they did it despite being reduced to ten men late on.
B. Risso gave the hosts an early lead with a penalty in the eleventh minute, but by then Leandro N. Alem had already settled into their structure. I. J. Sane struck twice in quick succession, first in the twenty-sixth and then again a minute later, and the match turned on those two moments rather than the penalty itself.
XX Urquiza should have held their advantage, but B. Garcia's dismissal in the sixty-eighth minute changed the geometry of the game. Leandro N. Alem pushed forward with the extra man, and T. Lescano scored in the ninetieth minute to extend the lead further. F. Gutierrez then saw red two minutes from time, which means both sides finished with a player sent off.
The statistics tell a story of efficiency over volume. Each side registered 98 attacks, but Leandro N. Alem converted four shots on target to two, while XX Urquiza wasted eight attempts off target. Possession was essentially even at 49 to 51 per cent, and by then the outcome felt decided long before the final whistle.
The visitors move to 31 points and pull clear of a side that has now drawn three consecutive matches without scoring. XX Urquiza remain on 29 points after five games unbeaten, but the streak ends here with a defeat that keeps them rooted in the middle of the table.
We had backed the home side at 42 per cent confidence, and the prediction did not come off. The turning point was not the penalty, but the way Leandro N. Alem responded to going behind — they kept their shape, took their chances, and did not panic when the game opened up.
