Belgrano ended Banfield's hopes of a positive result in the Clausura when they secured a 2-0 victory in Buenos Aires on Sunday evening. The visitors took the lead just before half-time through Lucas Passerini and extended their advantage early in the second period with a goal from Lisandro Lopez. It was a straightforward afternoon for the away side, who had already been sitting fifth in the table before kick-off.
Banfield started brightly enough, pressing high and creating more attacks overall. They registered 129 attacks compared to Belgrano's 93, and their expected goals figure of 1.93 suggested they should have scored. And here's the thing — they created three big chances but could not convert. The statistics do not tell the whole story, though. Belgrano's goalkeeper made six saves to Banfield's three, and the visitors were more clinical when it mattered.
The yellow cards came thick and fast in the first half. T. Adoryan picked up his booking in the fourteenth minute, followed by A. Sporle and T. Perrotta before the interval. Banfield brought on T. Adoryan's replacement at the break, but the pattern did not change. Passerini found the net in the forty-eighth minute, and Lopez doubled the advantage eleven minutes later. By then the match was already decided.
Both managers shuffled their players in the second half. Banfield made four substitutions between the sixty-fourth and seventy-fifth minutes, while Belgrano brought on J. Velazquez and R. Hernandes later on. L. Pinero received a yellow card in stoppage time, bringing the disciplinary tally to four for the hosts and three for the visitors.
The result leaves Banfield in twelfth place with 18 points from 16 games, while Belgrano move further clear in fifth with 26 points. The visitors had already shown resilience in recent fixtures, drawing with Tigre before losing to Argentinos Juniors. This win extends their run of positive results and takes them eight points clear of the mid-table pack.