Gimnasia La Plata claimed a 2-1 victory over Rosario Central at Estadio Doctor Lisandro de la Torre in the seventh round of Argentina's Professional League Clausura tournament on Friday evening. The visitors took all three points despite playing with just 32 per cent possession, while the hosts had dominated the majority of the game.
Rosario started brightly but their momentum was checked when a Marcela Ruben goal was ruled out for offside in the 30th minute after VAR intervention. The hosts picked up two bookings before the break, with Alejandro Pereyra and Ignacio Ovando both cautioned, while Gimnasia's Nicolas Fernandez also went into the referee's book.
A dramatic turn came in the 59th minute when Cristian Ledesma headed an own goal to give the home side a 1-0 lead. That proved to be a pivotal moment, as Gimnasia responded with renewed urgency after the break, bringing on several fresh legs to change the complexion of the match.
Gimnasia took control when Juan Campaz found the net in the 86th minute, followed shortly by Ignacio Miramon's second goal just two minutes later. The visitors had already made five substitutions by then, including Lucas Janson and Matias Ruben, while the hosts also made changes in a vain attempt to salvage a result.
The statistics told a stark story of the evening. Rosario Central completed 583 passes compared to 271 for Gimnasia, while their expected goals tally of 0.58 was higher than the visitors' 0.38. Yet the visitors were more clinical, converting their chances when it mattered most.
The result leaves Rosario Central in fourth place with 28 points from 16 games, while Gimnasia remain sixth with 26 points. Both sides have won eight matches each, but the visitors' superior defensive record may yet prove crucial in the final standings.
