Defensa y Justicia Turn Belgrano's Dominance Into a Road Victory
Defensa y Justicia came to Córdoba and took three points from the Professional League of Argentina's Clausura, beating Belgrano Córdoba 2:1 on 23 August. The visitors scored first through C. Perez in the twelfth minute before Diego Fernandez levelled shortly after the break. R. Hernandes then struck at fifty-nine minutes to complete the turnaround.
Belgrano controlled the ball, holding 68 per cent possession and launching 187 attacks compared with 63 from their opponents. Yet the hosts could only manage one goal from fourteen shots on target — their expected goals stood at 1.26, almost identical to Defensa y Justicia's 1.25. And here's the thing: the statistics tell a story that doesn't quite match the result.
The match swung in a narrow window after the interval. J. Velazquez came on for Belgrano in the forty-sixth minute, and Diego Fernandez equalised within a minute. The home side pressed forward, creating two big chances, but couldn't find the net. Defensa y Justicia kept their shape, then took the lead when Hernandes found the back of the net.
Defensa y Justicia's defensive work was thorough. They made seventy-eight clearances against six for Belgrano, and won sixty per cent of their aerial duels. The visitors registered four goalkeeper saves while their hosts' stopper managed only two. By then the momentum had shifted, and Belgrano looked increasingly desperate.
Both sides made heavy use of substitutes. Belgrano brought on J. Velazquez, A. Falcon, L. Fernandez, A. Sanchez, D. Barbona, J. Gutierrez, L. Passerini, F. Vazquez, C. Perez and T. Perrotta. The visitors' changes were fewer but came at crucial moments.
Discipline was mixed. Agustín Falcón received a booking in the thirty-fourth minute for Belgrano, while Juan Manuel Gutiérrez went off the field with a yellow card at sixty-five. Defensa y Justicia's Alcides Benítez and Fernando Román picked up yellow cards late on, in the ninety-third and ninety-sixth minutes respectively.
The result leaves Belgrano fifth in the table on twenty-six points from sixteen games, with seven wins, five draws and four defeats. Defensa y Justicia remain tenth on nineteen points, having won four, drawn seven and lost five. The hosts cannot afford another slip if they want to stay in touch with the teams above them.
