Deportes Santa Cruz and Reconquista played out a goalless draw in the Primera B on Sunday, 14 September, in a match that settled the table in neither direction. The hosts finished 14th on 22 points after 25 games, while the visitors climbed to sixth on 38. We had backed a home win at 41 per cent confidence, but neither side could break the deadlock.
And here's the thing — the match lived in the yellow cards more than the chances. F. Alarcon went off at 45+4, then N. Zeineddin at 50, E. Flores at 63, and B. Viveros at 90+5. Four bookings for a game that produced nothing else of note.
By then the substitutions had begun. N. Zeineddin and J. Delgado came off together at 64, G. Alvarez at 73, and two pairs at 78 and 88. G. Estigarribia and P. Sanchez, then J. Espinoza and P. Brito. Coaches bringing on legs for a game that refused to open.
Deportes Santa Cruz managed 108 attacks and 10 shots, two on target. Reconquista had 101 attacks and 10 shots, four on target. Possession split almost evenly at 49 to 51. You could call that a battle of attrition, but the numbers don't lie — both sides had enough and neither took it.
The hosts extended a run that included a 1-0 win over Deportes Iquique last time out, though this result doesn't change their standing at the bottom half. Reconquista's away form had been solid — wins against San Marcos de Arica and Antofagasta in their previous two — but they came away with a point they might have expected more from.
It was one of those matches where the tension builds and then dissipates without resolution. Neither manager could point to a moment that decided it, and neither could claim they deserved more. The table stays as it was, and the league goes on.