In the opening match of the third round of Group A of the Apertura Tournament of the Professional League, Barracas Central defeated Banfield 1-0 at the Arsenal de Sarandí stadium.
Barracas attempted to create danger through Nahuel Barrios and Gerónimo Rivero, while Banfield had its first opportunity with a shot from Brandon Oviedo from the right flank, well saved by goalkeeper Marcos Ledesma.
The only excitement of the scoreboard came in the 19th minute, when Iván Tapia took a free kick from the left, Dardo Miloc headed towards the goal, and after a rebound from Facundo Sanguinetti, Jappert captured the ball and pushed it into the net.
The play generated complaints for a possible offside position, but referee Luis Medina validated the goal. From that moment, Barracas opted to protect themselves on defense and ceded the initiative to Banfield, which had more possession of the ball, although without generating great goal-scoring opportunities.
In the second half, Banfield continued to dominate the game and relentlessly sought the equalizer. Five minutes before the end, the entire visiting team claimed a penalty after a clash in the area between Fernando Tobio and Nasif, but neither the referee nor the VAR considered that there was an infringement, which sparked the indignation of the team led by Ariel Broggi.
The most concrete opportunity came four minutes in, when Ramiro Di Luciano sent a precise cross into the area that found Tomás Nasif, but his header lacked power and was easily saved by Ledesma. As the minutes passed, Barracas further withdrew and neutralized the attempts of the "Taladro."
The only goal of the match was scored by Kevin Jappert in a controversial play, as his position in the area left doubts. With this result, Rubén Darío Insúa's team achieved their first victory in the championship, reaching four points and moving up to seventh place, while Banfield lost their unbeaten record and remained second in the table.
The match development was even in the first minutes, with few dangerous arrivals and much play in midfield. Barracas Central's next challenge will be to visit Aldosivi on Thursday, February 6, while Banfield will seek to recover when they host Belgrano at their stadium on Friday, February 7.
