San Martín Formosa secured a 2-1 victory over 9 de Julio Rafaela in the Winners Stage of the Torneo Federal A on Saturday evening. The match, played at the hosts' ground, saw the top-placed side maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign while the visitors fell further behind in their pursuit of a higher finish. By then, San Martín Formosa had already established themselves as the team to beat in this section of the tournament.
The breakthrough came in the eighteenth minute when G. Nunez converted a penalty to give the hosts the lead. To be fair, 9 de Julio Rafaela responded well and found an equaliser through R. Tapia just four minutes later. But San Martín Formosa turned it on again, with L. Larrea netting in the twenty-seventh minute to restore their advantage and end a barren spell for the home side.
The statistics told a story of dominance that didn't quite match the narrow margin. San Martín Formosa enjoyed 59 per cent possession and launched 164 attacks compared to 134 from their opponents. They registered seven shots on target with twelve off target, while 9 de Julio Rafaela managed only four shots on target from sixteen attempts. And here's the thing — many shots with one goal means chances went begging on both sides.
San Martín Formosa now sit top of the table with thirteen points from five games, having won four and drawn one. The result extended their winning run to two matches after a 1-1 draw with Gimnasia Chiviloy last week. For 9 de Julio Rafaela, the defeat dropped them to fifth place with eight points, though they remain competitive with only five points separating them from the leaders.
The goal difference tells the fuller picture — San Martín Formosa have scored eight goals in five games while conceding just three. 9 de Julio Rafaela have netted five and let in four. The hosts made it clear they can raise the tempo when they need to, and that performance will raise questions for the visitors as they look to close the gap.
