San Martín de San Juan edged past Millonarios 3-2 in the twenty-eighth round of the Primera Nacional on Saturday evening. The result keeps the home side in ninth place with thirty-eight points, while the visitors drop further from fifth, now sitting on forty-one. We had backed the hosts to win, and the match played out much as we expected—tough, with moments that decided everything.
S. Gonzalez gave San Martín the lead at the twelfth minute, and for a while the home side looked comfortable. Millonarios responded after the break, with M. Flores pulling one back at fifty-two minutes. By then the game had opened up. Both managers made changes at the hour mark, trying to find an edge.
M. Roseti restored the advantage at seventy-seven, but Millonarios refused to go quietly. L. Ferreyra converted a penalty at eighty-six to level things up. The home side had been the more attacking team all evening—hundred and twenty-four attacks against ninety-two—but Millonarios had more shots on target, seven to three. They kept knocking on the door.
And here's the thing about cup football, or league football when it feels like cup football: you only need a few moments to change everything. D. Alvarez struck at ninety-plus-one to win it for San Martín. The visitors had a man sent off at ninety-six, which at least confirmed the game was ending badly for them. They had the better shooting numbers but couldn't cross the line until it mattered.
The statistics tell a story of dominance without control. San Martín had fifty-five percent possession and twice as many attacks, yet Millonarios registered more shots on target and earned a corner advantage eight to four. The home side were clinical when they needed to be. The visitors had the deeper squad on paper, but this was a match decided in fragments, not in sustained pressure.