Ferro Carril Oeste and Godoy Cruz met in the Primera Nacional regular season on Friday evening, with the visitors closing out a 3-1 victory. The match ended at 18:23 local time, and the result leaves the home side sitting at the top of the table with 54 points while the guests move up to fourth on 46.
The hosts started brighter. V. Poggi opened the scoring in the seventh minute, and just three minutes later M. Kabalin doubled the advantage for Godoy Cruz. T. Rossi added a third before the break, and by then the game had settled into a rhythm that suited the visitors.
Substitutions came thick and fast after the interval. A. Gonzalez and A. Guerrero went off for the home side in the 67th and 69th minutes, followed by L. Parisi and B. Schamine at 74 and 76. L. Pena Biafore and M. Pino completed the changes for Ferro Carril in stoppage time.
The turning point arrived late. P. Uriel was sent off in the 83rd minute, and N. Ulariaga capitalised in the 90th-plus-two minute to make it 3-1. R. Fernandez then picked up a yellow card three minutes later, but the damage was done.
Statistically, the match told a familiar story. Ferro Carril Oeste had 57 per cent possession and 100 attacks compared to 94 for the visitors, but shot accuracy of 20 per cent against a perfect 100 for Godoy Cruz. The hosts registered four shots off target and one on target, while the visitors hit the mark three times with no shots wide.
The result keeps Ferro Carril Oeste at the summit, though the gap to second place narrows. Godoy Cruz move into fourth and close the gap on the teams above them, extending a run that includes a 2-1 win over Central Norte and a 1-0 victory against Defensores de Belgrano.