Almagro and Midland drew 1-1 in the Regular Season of the Primera Nacional on Saturday, a result that leaves both sides exactly where the table suggests they belong. The hosts, twelve points adrift of the top six, had won two of their last three before this afternoon. Midland, sitting sixth, had extended their unbeaten run to eight with victories over Patronato and Quilmes.
The opening goal arrived almost immediately after the break. Bulacio struck in the forty-sixth minute, capitalising on a moment of space before the visitors could settle. To be fair, Almagro had pressed higher from the first whistle, and their possession of fifty-eight percent told you they wanted the ball. But possession alone does not win matches, and here's the thing — Midland's four shots on target compared to two showed they were sharper when it mattered.
Key moments
- Bulacio scored in the 46th minute for Almagro
- Bustos equalised for Midland in the eighty-first
- D. Bulacio was substituted off in the seventy-seventh, a curious move given he had just scored
Midland's equaliser came from Bustos in the eighty-first, and by then the game had settled into something neither side wanted to risk. The visitors had been more clinical in front of goal, but Almagro's attack count of 141 to 118 suggested they had created more opportunities overall. Things came to a head late, with nine yellow cards in the final twenty minutes alone — eight of them after the seventy-first minute.
The statistics tell you little beyond what the eye already saw. Both sides registered zero shots off target, which means every attempt was either on target or blocked. Almagro's two shots on target produced one goal; Midland's four produced one. That price has gone, as they say — you cannot buy a win with volume.
After the match, Almagro remained twelfth with thirty-four points from twenty-eight games, while Midland stayed sixth on forty-one. Neither result changes the landscape significantly, but the draw means Midland have not won since their last outing, and Almagro have not lost in three — a small mercy for the home side.