Agropecuario Edge Past Ciudad de Bolívar in Disciplined Display
Agropecuario secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Ciudad de Bolívar in the 25th round of the Primera Nacional on Friday evening. The hosts kept their side in it for long stretches before B. Blando struck in the second half, and despite a penalty miss and a late dismissal, they held on for all three points.
The first half saw a flurry of cards. G. Sanchez picked up two bookings in five minutes around the half-hour mark, while E. Navarro and N. Yeri also went to the referee. By then the game had settled into a physical pattern, and both sides traded cautions without breaking the deadlock.
Agropecuario came out after the break with fresh legs. F. Sanchez was brought on at 46 minutes, and B. Quintana followed in the 65th. The visitors matched the tempo initially, but a substitution trio for the hosts — R. Castro, A. Gagliardi, and G. Sanchez — changed the shape of the game.
The breakthrough arrived in the 72nd minute when B. Blando found the net. Ciudad de Bolívar responded with a penalty, but J. Valdez missed his spot-kick in the 78th minute, a moment that could have levelled the score. Instead, Agropecuario kept their advantage.
Discipline unravelled for the visitors in stoppage time. E. Navarro received a second yellow card in the 91st minute after already being booked at 32 minutes. The red card came with two yellow cards for L. Villegas and E. Martinez in quick succession, leaving the away side to finish with ten men.
Statistically, Agropecuario dominated possession at 58 per cent and created more chances. They registered six shots on target compared with two for their opponents, while also recording 115 attacks to 85. The visitors managed more corners and throw-ins, but could not convert their pressure.
The result keeps Agropecuario in 13th place with 28 points from 28 games, nine wins and 11 defeats. Ciudad de Bolívar remain seventh on 38 points, but the loss ends a run of two consecutive defeats following their win against Estudiantes earlier in July.