Racing Club de Montevideo kept Nacional at bay with a 2:0 win at Estadio Centenario on Saturday night. The result lifts the hosts to third place in the Primera - Apertura standings, while Nacional drop further back in the table. It was a match decided by moments rather than sustained pressure, and by then the visitors had already started to look tired.
Two goals from the spot and late strike
T. Habib opened the scoring in the 55th minute with a penalty, a chance that came after the game had settled into a rhythm. Racing had been the more direct side early on, but Nacional had equalised their chances on paper. The second goal fell in the 82nd minute when F. Alvarez finished cleanly to seal the three points.
The yellow cards tell a different story. A. Rogel picked up two bookings inside a minute at 28 and 29, while Y. Oyarzo followed the same pattern at 43 and 44. By then the game had already settled into a pattern, and Racing had the edge in efficiency.
Numbers do not tell the full story
Nacional held 52 per cent of possession and registered 109 attacks against Racing's 104. Both sides landed four shots on target, but Racing's eight off-target attempts versus Nacional's seven showed a slight preference for volume over precision. The expected goals figures would not have told you who deserved the win.
Substitutions came thick and fast in the second half. Racing brought on J. Bosca and T. Habib together in the 72nd minute, while Nacional made two changes at 59 and another pair at 88. By then Racing had already moved into control.
Standings shift after the result
Racing sit third with 49 points from 27 games, four behind the leaders. Nacional remain sixth on 42 points, eleven behind Racing and with a tougher run of fixtures ahead. The gap between the two sides in the table has grown by three points since this result.