Defensa y Justicia achieved its first victory in the championship by defeating Deportivo Riestra 1-0 at the Guillermo Laza stadium thanks to a brilliant goal by Rubén Botta. The team coached by Mariano Soso secured three valuable points in a venue that, until last season, had been a difficult fortress for visiting teams. The first clear chance of the match fell to El Halcón. Defensa was proactive and showed greater intent early on. The only goal of the afternoon came in the 29th minute of the first half. Abiel Osorio, a future reinforcement for Elche, attacked space to receive a pass from Botta, who turned and shot, forcing a good save from Ignacio Arce. Meanwhile, Riestra began 2026 with two consecutive defeats. Match Summary: Apertura Tournament 2026. Date 2. Deportivo Riestra 0-1 Defensa y Justicia. Stadium: Guillermo Laza. Referee: Hernán Mastrángelo. VAR: Maximiliano Macheroni. Deportivo Riestra: Ignacio Arce; Nicolás Sansotre, Facundo Miño, Cristian Paz, Miguel Barbieri, Pedro Ramírez; Jonatan Goitía, Pablo Monje, Antony Alonso; Alexander Díaz and Jonathan Herrera. DT: Gustavo Benítez. Defensa y Justicia: Cristopher Fiermarín; Lucas Souto, Emiliano Amor, David Martínez, Samuel Lucero; Ayrton Portillo, Santiago Sosa, Aaron Molinas; Rubén Botta; Abiel Osorio and Juan Miritello. DT: Mariano Soso. First Half Goals: 29m Rubén Botta (DyJ). First Half Substitutions: 37m Mateo Aguiar for Miritello (DyJ). Second Half Substitutions: at the start, Gabriel Obredor for P. Ramírez (DR); Rodrigo Gallo for Barbieri (DR); 21m Rodrigo Sayavedra for Sansotre (DR); Nicolás Benegas for A. Díaz (DR); 24m Julián López for Aguiar (DyJ); Juan Manuel Gutiérrez for Botta (DyJ); 32m Leonardo Landriel for Miño (DR); 49m Nazareno Roselli for Osorio (DyJ); Elías Pereyra for Molinas (DyJ). Aaron Molinas launched a precise aerial pass, Miguel Barbieri lost his mark in defense, and Botta, without letting the ball drop, finished with his boot to change its trajectory and score a goal of great quality, impossible for the local goalkeeper. Riestra had its chance to equalize before halftime with a header from Barbieri, but Cristopher Fiermarín responded with a key save over the crossbar. In the next play, Defensa scored a second goal, although the play was first validated and then canceled in a confusing sequence. In the second half, the match was more frayed with few clear chances, conditioned by fatigue and high temperatures. In this context, Defensa managed the advantage and held on to the result.
