Instituto secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Estudiantes de Río Cuarto at the Estadio Presidente Perón on Monday evening, a result that keeps them in contention while further complicating matters for their visitors. The Clausura round nine fixture ended with the hosts taking all three points despite being outplayed in possession and territory for large periods. Giuliano Cerato opened the scoring early in the second half before Leonel Mosevich added a second, though Marcos Ledesma's own goal gave Estudiantes something to hold onto before the final whistle.
The match unfolded with Cerato's strike at the 49th minute, which required VAR confirmation at the 51st before standing. Mosevich doubled the advantage at 73 minutes, and it was Ledesma's misfortune at 75 minutes that brought Estudiantes back into contention. Six yellow cards were shown throughout — three to each side — with González, Cabrera, Abregú, Cerato, Tissera and Forestello all receiving cautions at various stages. Substitutions were made in numbers, with eight changes between both benches as managers sought to shift momentum.
We had called for a home win with 64 per cent confidence, and by then you'd expect the numbers to reflect that. Instituto managed 41 per cent possession against 59 for Estudiantes, yet their clinical edge told. The visitors registered 117 attacks to 104, created one big chance to none, and hit the target five times compared to four, but expected goals of 0.92 to 0.62 only partially explained the outcome. Shots inside the penalty area were even at seven apiece, but the difference lay in conversion — and a moment of defensive error.
The result leaves Instituto ninth with 21 points from 16 games, while Estudiantes remain 15th on five points. Recent form suggests the hosts have found their rhythm — a 1-0 win over San Lorenzo followed by a goalless draw against Atlético Tucumán — whereas Estudiantes have struggled, losing four of their last five matches. The gap between them widens, and for the visitors there is nothing to lose in the remaining fixtures. The table goes out of the window in these games, but points are points.
