Match Report: Himnasia de La Plata vs Banfield
Himnasia de La Plata and Banfield played out a 2:2 draw in the Clausura stage of Argentina's Professional League on September 19th. The match took place at Estadio Juan Carmelo Zerillo, and both sides walked away with a point after a game that swung from end to end. We had tipped Himnasia for victory, but the match took a different turn.
The opening goal came in the twentieth minute when Agustín Auzmendi found the net for the hosts. Banfield responded quickly through Lautaro Gómez in the thirty-eighth minute, leveling the score before the break. Lucas Janson then missed a penalty for Himnasia in the thirty-sixth minute, a moment that shifted the momentum away from the home side.
And here's the thing about the second half — Himnasia took the lead again through Pedro Silva Torrejon in the sixty-second minute, but Banfield refused to fold. Diego Zalazar equalised in the ninetieth minute, and by then the stadium had seen everything. Three substitutions for Himnasia at the interval brought on Oviedo, Lopez and Machado, while Banfield introduced Schelotto and Barros Schelotto in the sixty-first minute.
The statistics tell a story of dominance without reward. Himnasia enjoyed 55 per cent possession and created eight big chances against Banfield's zero, yet their expected goals of 3.54 produced only two. They registered 15 shots on target and 11 off target, while Banfield managed five on target from just two big chances created. Things came to a head late on when Zalazar's strike ensured neither side would leave disappointed.
Himnasia remain sixth in the table with 26 points from 16 games, while Banfield sit twelfth with 18 points. The result extends Himnasia's run of unbroken form — they had drawn with Argentinos Juniors and Deportivo Riestra, and beaten Tigre and Rosario Central in recent outings. Banfield's recent results show a side that has struggled for consistency, with defeats to Aldosivi, River Plate and Newell's Old Boys.
