Tristán Suárez took all three points on Sunday evening with a 1-0 win over Midland in the Primera Nacional. The visitors held firm despite the match ending in controversy, with J. Beron sent off in the 86th minute after collecting two yellow cards. By then, the damage was done — the visitors had already secured first place with 57 points, four ahead of the hosts in fifth with 47.
And here's the thing about this result: it wasn't a game of open play or end-to-end action. The turning point came in the 30th minute when I. Andrada turned on his own side with an own goal. Midland had dominated possession at 53 per cent and launched 97 attacks, but they couldn't convert their advantage. To be fair, Tristán Suárez weren't chasing shadows either — 53 attacks and 47 per cent possession shows they had their moments.
The match was punctuated by cautions rather than goals. J. Bigo and D. Bulacio went off the field before halftime for Midland, while G. Cepeda added another for the visitors in the 24th minute. M. Guillen picked up a yellow for Tristán Suárez before the break, and J. Beron's second booking in the 80th minute — after his first in the 79th — finally saw him dismissed. The red card came late, when the result was already safe for the visitors.
Substitutions tells a story of two managers trying something different. J. Camano came on for Midland in the 46th minute, followed by N. Sanchez and A. Gallo in the 65th. Tristán Suárez brought on I. Andrada in the 70th, then G. Cepeda in the 73rd. The home side continued their changes with D. Becker in the 75th, while R. Luna and R. Cao came together for the visitors in the 80th. A. Molina completed the reshuffle for Midland in the 84th.
We had backed a home victory at 40 per cent confidence, but the match went another way. Midland created more chances — 3 shots on target compared to 2 — yet couldn't find the net. The visitors hit the woodwork more often with 5 shots off target. It's a reminder that shots don't always tell the full story, especially when one moment decides everything.
The result leaves Tristán Suárez firmly at the top of the table, extending their lead over the chasing pack. Midland's run of three consecutive wins came to an end, with their last five results reading: 2-0, 1-0, 2-3, 0-3, 2-0 before this defeat. The visitors, meanwhile, kept their unbeaten streak alive with four straight draws before this win. Sometimes the table goes out of the window in these games, but tonight first place stayed where it belonged.
