Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata defeated Belgrano de Córdoba 2-1 at the Estadio Juan Carmelo Zerillo on Thursday, with goals from Lucas Janson and Agustín Auzmendi keeping alive the club’s dream of qualifying for next year’s Copa Libertadores, El Día reported. The result closes the regular phase of the Torneo Clausura with the Lobo finishing among the top five of the annual table, the stated objective for maintaining that continental berth.
The match kicked off at 7:15 p.m. local time, refereed by Luis Lobo Medina and broadcast on TNT Sports. The Supertransmi team also broadcast the match on FM La Redonda 100.3. Olé’s minute-by-minute coverage recorded both Gimnasia goals and Belgrano’s late first-half reply from Alcides Benítez.
Janson and Auzmendi Strike Early in the Bosque
Lucas Janson opened the scoring in the sixth minute with his first goal since joining Gimnasia on loan from Boca, connecting with a header after a move that began with a cross from young Pablo Aguiar two minutes earlier, according to El Día and Mejor Informado.
At the nine-minute mark, Gimnasia goalkeeper Harlen Castillo went down holding his right side after catching a routine ball and was replaced, with Nelson Insfrán warming up immediately, El Día reported. Castillo made a save from a low Emiliano Rigoni shot in the 16th minute, and a minute later Franco Vázquez hit the crossbar from a tight angle on his left foot.
The second Gimnasia goal came in the 31st minute: Auzmendi’s finish was initially flagged offside by the assistant referee, but after a lengthy VAR review, referee Lobo Medina confirmed the goal, bringing Auzmendi to six goals for the campaign, Mejor Informado reported. Benítez scored for the visitors just before halftime, stepping into the area to cut the deficit to 2-1, according to Olé.
Nacho Fernández Rested With Four Yellow Cards
Captain Ignacio “Nacho” Fernández did not start, a decision by coach Ariel Pereyra designed to protect him from a fifth yellow card that would have ruled him out of the round-of-16 playoff match, 0221 reported. It marked the first time since his return to the club that Fernández began on the bench, and the first time in 11 years — the last occasion being March 20, 2015, in a 2-0 loss at Lanús under Pedro Troglio. The goals in that 2015 match came from Lucas Melano and Jorge Ortíz. Nicolás Barros Schelotto took his place in midfield and returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Gimnasia’s Copa Argentina elimination by Deportivo Riestra.
A Rivalry That Has Tilted Toward Belgrano at Home
Infocielo’s records show Belgrano holds a 12-10-12 edge in the all-time series, and Gimnasia had not beaten Belgrano at El Bosque since a 4-3 comeback in the 2002 Clausura, when Facundo Sava scored a hat trick. Thursday’s fixture was the 35th between the two clubs. In 2002, Belgrano under Carlos Ramacciotti had led 2-0 through Osvaldo Bordicio and Darío Zárate before the comeback. Since then, the sides drew 2-2 in 2007, 2-2 in 2014, 1-1 in 2017, and Belgrano won 2-0 in La Plata in 2023 with two goals from Pablo Vegetti. That 2023 defeat came under coaches Sebastián Romero and Guillermo Farré.
What the Result Means for the Playoffs
Gimnasia has already secured a playoff spot and home advantage for the round of 16, having finished above River Plate in the standings and qualified for the Copa Sudamericana, Mejor Informado reported. Gimnasia had beaten Estudiantes de Río Cuarto in Córdoba in its previous match. Belgrano, the reigning Argentine champion under Ricardo Zielinski, is already booked for the next Libertadores and the Clausura playoffs; to improve its seeding it needs a large home win that is impossible for visitors.
Gimnasia’s next confirmed checkpoint is its round-of-16 playoff match at El Bosque, with the date to be set by the league following the conclusion of the regular phase.
