Buenos Aires, March 3 (NA) – Sarmiento defeated Estudiantes de Río Cuarto by the minimum margin in a crucial match for permanence in Primera División. The match took place this Tuesday at the Eva Perón stadium for the eighth date of the 2026 Apertura Tournament. According to the Argentine News Agency, the only goal of the night came at the 10-minute mark of the first half, via a penalty executed by striker Junior Marabel. With the win, the “Verde” climbed to eleventh place in Zone B with nine points, also marking a seven-point advantage over Newell’s in the annual table, while the team led by Iván Delfino is second-to-last in the group with four units and is at the bottom of the averages table, occupying the only relegation spot through this method. With matchday 9 postponed to May, Sarmiento's next match will be at home against Racing on Tuesday, March 10 at 22:00, while the Córdoba team will host Belgrano on Thursday 12 starting at 19:15. The home team converted on their first chance of the match, with a handball in the area by midfielder Fermín Antonini that allowed for a penalty, which was converted into a goal with a high and crossed right-footed shot by Marabel at 10 minutes. Estudiantes had no dangerous chances until the 20th minute, with a low shot to the near post by winger Martín Garnerone, from the right side of the area, that went wide. The home team approached the goal again at 40 minutes, with a left-sided run into the center by midfielder Jonatán Gómez, which concluded in a mid-height shot that goalkeeper Agustín Lastra deflected onto his left post. Six minutes later, a long-range first-time shot by midfielder Tomás González had good effect and went in through the goalkeeper's left post, which Javier Burrai stopped with a low save from the opposing midfielder. In the second half, at 28 minutes, midfielder Siro Rosaneh shot with the outside of his foot from the left vertex of the area, with a low and crossed shot, although it was wide. In the second minute of added time, striker Julián Contrera wasted a one-on-one chance on the right side of the small area, with a shot to the far post that was deflected by Lastra.
