Sportivo Las Parejas — Sarmiento Resistencia: 3:0, Torneo Federal A

Sportivo Las Parejas saw off Sarmiento Resistencia 3:0 in the Losers Stage of the Torneo Federal A on Saturday evening. The result leaves the hosts seven points clear of eighth-placed Sarmiento after six games compared to five for the visitors. By then most observers would have expected a tighter affair given Sarmiento's recent 2:1 victory over Independiente de Chivilcoy.

J. Piccinini opened the scoring after just two minutes, and the home side never looked back. A. Zanoni doubled the advantage before half-time at the 44th minute, while L. Rolon sealed the victory with a third goal in the 49th minute. Three goals from ten shots on target — and here's the thing, that efficiency is what separates results from possession figures.

Sarmiento's evening deteriorated further when they received a red card in the 78th minute. They had already accumulated three yellow cards between them, with bookings coming at the 34th, 60th, and 69th minutes. Two more yellows arrived in quick succession at the 80th minute, and the clean-sheet run came to an end for Sportivo Las Parejas.

The statistics tell a familiar story. Sarmiento registered 135 attacks against 126 for the hosts, but only managed two shots on target compared to Sportivo's ten. Possession sat at 59 per cent for the home side, and the difference in corners — 11 to 2 — reflected who controlled the wider areas. To be fair, attacking numbers mean little when you cannot finish.

The result keeps Sportivo Las Parejas seventh on six points, while Sarmiento remain in eighth on three points from four defeats. The hosts have now gone four matches without a loss after a difficult run that included defeats to Boca Unidos and El Linqueño. Sarmiento's form continues to concern anyone tracking the lower reaches of the table — they have not managed a single draw from five games.