Last weekend, the first matchday of Zone B of the 2025 Apertura Tournament of the Professional Football League in Argentina took place. In one of the highlighted matches, Estudiantes de La Plata won 3-1 against Unión de Santa Fe. The match was played at the Jorge Luis Hirschi stadium, and early on, the home team took the lead with a goal from Uruguayan Tiago Palacios in the 8th minute.
The second half continued with good rhythm, and the La Plata team extended their lead. In the 11th minute, midfielder José Sosa delivered a precise pass that was utilized by Gastón Benedetti to assist Joaquín Tobio Burgos, who powered in to make it 2-0. Later, in the 20th minute, Santiago Ascacibar sealed the 3-0 for Estudiantes.
During the match, the absences of Santiago Núñez and Bruno Zapelli were notable, as they are still not in full physical condition to be called up. On the other hand, the team led by Cristian González has strengthened with seven new players for a season that promises to be demanding, with participation in the local tournament, the Copa Argentina, and the Copa Sudamericana.
In another match of the day, Gimnasia La Plata had a forgettable performance, losing 3-0 to Instituto at the Monumental Juan Domingo Perón stadium in Alta Córdoba. The Córdoba team opened the scoring with a penalty goal from Fernando Juárez in the 34th minute of the first half and then sealed the match with goals from Alex Luna and Jonás Acevedo in the second half.
Regarding reinforcements, Estudiantes de La Plata featured Lucas Alario, coming from Internacional of Porto Alegre, as the main addition among those called up. The team has also strengthened with midfielders Cristian Medina, from Boca Juniors, and Alexis Castro, arriving from Nacional of Uruguay. The victory over Unión de Santa Fe marks a good start for the La Plata team in the tournament, which will seek to replicate the title obtained in the League Cup last year.
