Estudiantes de la Plata made a statement at the start of the Clausura campaign with a 3:0 win over Defensa y Justicia in Argentina's professional league on Friday night. The hosts took all three points from the third round, extending their unbeaten run at home while the visitors saw their recent form stall further.
G. Carrillo opened the scoring in the ninth minute, a sharp finish that caught the away side sleeping. L. Piovi doubled the advantage just seven minutes later with a clinical strike, and by then Estudiantes were already in control of the tie. T. Palacios added a third in the 36th minute before the break, leaving Defensa y Justicia with a mountain to climb.
The match grew physical as the half progressed. Fabricio Perez and D. Barbona both picked up yellow cards in the 28th minute, while D. Fernandez joined them in the 34th. Defensa y Justicia missed their best chance to get back into the game when D. Barbona saw his penalty saved in the 87th minute — a cruel blow for the visitors who had been pushing forward.
By then the statistics told a familiar story. Estudiantes dominated with 9 shots on target compared to 8 for the guests, and created 7 big chances against just 2. The visitors held 59% possession and launched 113 attacks, but their expected goals of 1.54 yielded nothing to show for it. Estudiantes' 1.99 expected goals translated into three clean goals.
The result keeps Estudiantes top of the table with 31 points from 16 games, while Defensa y Justicia remain in 10th with 19 points. The hosts have now won 9 of their 16 matches this season, and three points on the road was always going to be difficult for the visitors.