Nueva Chicago secured a 2-1 victory over San Martín de Tucumán in the Primera Nacional Regular Season round 23 on Friday evening. The result keeps both sides in the middle of the table, though it shifts the momentum in their favour. Ocampo opened the scoring early, and Perez sealed the points after the visitors' man was sent off.
Ocampo broke the deadlock in the 17th minute, catching San Martín off guard before Veron doubled the lead for the hosts 11 minutes later. The visitors responded when Perez found the net in the 84th minute, but by then Nueva Chicago had already built a cushion. Brinone's red card in the 62nd minute changed the complexion of the game, leaving San Martín to chase the match with ten men.
And here's the thing about the statistics — Nueva Chicago registered 116 attacks against 111 for the visitors, yet San Martín managed eight shots on target to just three. The hosts relied on accuracy over volume, hitting 75 per cent of their shots on target. Possession barely budged at 49 per cent for the home side, but that wasn't what decided the outcome.
Substitutions came thick and fast after the dismissal. Carabajal, Roldan, Veliez, Ocampo himself, and Ayala all entered the fray between the 64th and 89th minutes. San Martín played with urgency but couldn't find a way through a defence that had nothing to do all evening after the opening quarter.
>Nueva Chicago sit 15th with 28 points from 28 games, while San Martín de Tucumán remain 11th on 36 points. The gap between them stays at eight points, and neither side is breathing easy. This was a derby with no love lost, decided by moments rather than sustained pressure.