San Martín de Mendoza edge past Sol de Mayo in Losers Stage thriller
San Martín de Mendoza claimed a 2:1 victory over Sol de Mayo in the third round of the Losers Stage of the Torneo Federal A on Wednesday evening. The hosts moved ahead through two different scorers before S. Perez sealed the result for the visitors, yet the home side held firm to take all three points. By then, both teams had already shown they were willing to fight for every inch of ground.
F. Rivarola opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, putting the home side in front before Sol de Mayo responded through D. Arce just before the break. The match turned more physical as yellow cards began to accumulate, with Sol de Mayo collecting three between the 27th and 83rd minutes. San Martín de Mendoza saw it out with a single booking of their own, though they made changes to steady the game.
S. Perez pulled one back for Sol de Mayo in the 51st minute, giving the visitors hope of an equaliser. The home side had another goal confirmed at the 49th minute, though the scorer was not named in the match data. Coaches brought on fresh legs in the second half, with D. Arce and F. Saucedo replaced at 66 minutes, while J. Mazzolo and J. Leon were introduced later on.
The statistics tell a story of balanced opposition. Both sides held exactly half the possession, and each earned seven corners. San Martín de Mendoza registered five shots on target against eight for Sol de Mayo, who also managed more shots off target. The hosts created more goal-kick situations and threw in more frequently, while the visitors drew more free-kicks.
What matters now is where this result leaves both teams in the standings. San Martín de Mendoza sit top of the table after seven games, with three wins, three draws and just one defeat, accumulating 12 points. Sol de Mayo remain in ninth place, their record of two victories and five losses leaving them six points behind the leaders.
The home side carried momentum from their previous fixtures, having beaten Santamarina 1:0 and drawn with Costa-Brava and Argentina Monte-Mais. Sol de Mayo came into this match after a heavy 2:4 defeat to Deportivo Rincón, though they had shown resilience with a 1:0 win over Santamarina earlier. The table goes out of the window in these games, but form rarely disappears completely.