Instituto took all three points at the Estadio Alfredo Terrera, edging Central Córdoba 1-0 in the fifth round of the Clausura phase. The match opened with neither side willing to commit, and by then it was clear this would be decided by a single moment rather than sustained pressure. The visitors held their shape and waited.
The moment that mattered
And here's the thing — it came at the death. F. Suarez found the net in the 89th minute, and that was enough to settle what had been a tight affair. Central Córdoba had dominated possession, but Instituto made their chances count. A fourth straight win for the visitors now, and you could see the confidence building.
Both sides brought on fresh legs in the second half. Instituto made two changes at the break, L. Gonzalez and H. Tijanovich coming on together, while Central Córdoba responded with three substitutions between the 61st and 65th minutes. J. Galvan, who had taken a yellow card in the 30th minute, was among those replaced.
The statistics tell one story, but the match told another. Central Córdoba held 52 per cent possession and registered 123 attacks, yet created no big chances. Their expected goals figure of 0.56 suggests they were not threatening in the final third. Instituto, with fewer attacks but 1.48 expected goals, were more clinical. By then, the visitors had created four big chances compared to their opponents' zero.
What does this mean for the table? Instituto move up to ninth place on 21 points from 16 games, while Central Córdoba remain in 13th with 16 points. The visitors ended a two-match winless run, having lost to Velez and drawn with Lanus in their previous outings. Central Córdoba's recent form has been inconsistent — they beat Union Santa Fe and San Lorenzo before losing to Atletico Tucuman and Gimnasia.