Rosario Central defeated Barracas Central 2-0 in a match held at the Gigante de Arroyito stadium for the fifth round of the 2026 Apertura Tournament. In this match, star player Ángel Di María shone. According to Noticias Argentinas, the first goal of the night was scored by striker Enzo Copetti in the 13th minute of the second half, while Di María sealed the victory in the 45th minute. With this win, the team coached by Jorge Almirón reached fifth place in Zone B with eight points, while "El Guapo" is twelfth with five points. In the next round, "El Canalla" will receive Talleres on Friday, February 20th, at 22:15, while the team coached by Rubén Darío Insua will visit Platense on February 21st, starting at 17:00. The first chance of the game came from Barracas in the 22nd minute with a left-sided advance and a long-range shot from full-back Rodrigo Insua, which was easily saved by goalkeeper Jeremías Ledesma. "El Canalla" had a dangerous chance in the 36th minute with a one-two play and a subsequent long-range shot from full-back Emanuel Coronel, whose left-footed shot from the edge of the area went just wide. Two minutes later, Ángel Di María tried to surprise with an Olympic free-kick that went in at the far post, but goalkeeper Marcelo Miño managed to deflect it for a corner. The first chance of the second half came from the home team in the sixth minute, with a run and a back-pass from the right by Coronel, which full-back Enzo Copetti struck first-time at the near post, although Miño deflected his shot. In the 12th minute, a cross from the right by midfielder Enzo Giménez was met with a first-time shot by Di María, whose left-footed strike hit the post. On the next play, the 1-0 goal arrived with a cross from the left that enabled Copetti's headed goal, which went in at the far post of Miño. In the 19th minute, a free-kick near the edge of the area was taken by Di María, who tried a low shot under the wall, which the "Guapo" goalkeeper managed to save at his right post. Four minutes later, Di María filtered a pass to the right for Giménez, who then played a back-pass for striker Alejo Véliz, who took a touch and shot with the outside of his boot, but it went wide. In the 45th minute of the second half, after a one-two play, "Fideo" Di María was one-on-one on the right and chipped the ball over the onrushing Miño to make it 2-0.
