On a playing field in very poor conditions, Racing lost 2-1 with Centralin Avellaneda and continues without points in the Apertura 2026. The Academy of Gustavo Costas suffered the hierarchy of Angel Di Mariawho scored an unexpected goal to open the way for Canalla’s first success of the season.
After the consecration of the team in Qatar 2022, the organizers of the Argentine championship gave the competition a bombastic title: world champions league. The ostentatious label, backed by the glory obtained by the team led by Lionel Messi In the Middle East, it collided on different occasions with a reality crossed by different factors: the rapid departure of the best talents, with a consequent loss of quality in several teams; scandalous arbitration rulings and regulatory changes during (or even after) competitions.
Even in that context, the pretentious fantasy nickname of the domestic championships had a kind of boost when some of the footballers who made up the national team’s achievements decided to return, like Ángel Di María.
However, the world champions league wrote embarrassing new chapters and far from a standard as high as that presumed by its promotion. Thus, even Di María himself was involved in the reproaches, as a result of lifting the title trophy assigned to Central after the conclusion. the regular phase 2025.
As a reflection of the discomfort generated by that arbitrary decision by the AFA, Ángel received whistles when he was named by the voice of the stadium of Racing. Fideo and all the players chosen by Costas and Jorge Almirón came out to play this Racing-Central on a field in deplorable conditions.
With lamps everywhere, sand thrown in different sectors, more grafted grass that flew at any shot or dispute for the ball, the Cilindro grass showed one of the worst versions on record.
“The lack of rain influenced drastically in development times because it represents a key aspect for the growth of a young grass”, was part of the official justification of the Academy regarding the complete deterioration of the grass.
The difficult conditions of the terrain clearly influenced during the match, in which controlling and passing the ball became an almost impossible mission for most. Except for Di María. The world champion broke parity with an action from another game and at the height of his hierarchy: he received outside the area, hooked and left Santiago Sosa snubbed, entered the senior team and, with the outside edge of his left foot, took a powerful shot that was nailed to the left of Facundo Cambeses.
In the 23 minutes prior to that capital definition from the rogue captain, Racing had the ball most of the time, but could not go deep. Matko Miljevic, once again the most outstanding of the albiceleste midfield, was the one who understood the circumstances the most and looked for shots from outside the area, while Adrian Martinez He fought in the area against the central defenders.
As had happened in La Plata, where on Saturday lost with GimnasiaRacing was once again at a disadvantage due to a great goal and without being able to provide danger to possession. Valentin Carbonithe youth player whose hiring raised hopes and shook the transfer market, was once again disconnected from the team and had almost no participation (he was replaced 15 minutes into the second half by Tomás Conechny).
Other deja vu that Costas’ team had was due to their alarming setbacks: each transition from Central meant a serious threat due to the racing disorder. Narazeno Colombo moved to the right side, due to the absence of the injured Gastón Martirena (very weak news), With which Marco Di Césare and Agustín García Basso formed the defense that was exposed in Central’s 2-0 victory.
Di María started in his own half, Colombo swept to cut off the advance, but the ball bounced and favored Fideo, who opened for Jaminton Campaz, whose assist concluded with the goal of Véliz, who came in free to define against Cambeses’ bailout. Without monopolizing the ball, the Almirón Central He had stretched his advantage and retreated even further.
The best of the match
Racing’s discount, at 45, came after a cross Santiago Solari headed with excellence by Maravilla Martínez, who along with Miljevic more understood the adverse context of the match. The public’s shout was paused for almost three minutes, the time it took for the VAR to validate the conquest, despite the fact that Racing’s 9 was clearly enabled.
In the second half, Racing went by inertia but without clarity, with the aggravating factor that the playing field was getting even worse minute by minute. Miljevic, with shots from outside, and Baltasar Rodríguez, looked for a tie that would never come. Racing remains empty-handed and Central, for a crack like Di Maríatook the three points in a minefield.
