With one man less, Newell's scored a goal five minutes from the end... and they tied the game.
The fourth round of the Clausura tournament continues, with few good matches, a few goals, and, unfortunately, repeated situations. And the worst part: everything continues; the show must go on.
Newell's drew 1-1 with Central Córdoba of Santiago del Estero. That's all for the news, the information. Gonzalo Maroni opened the scoring five minutes from time, and Gastón Verón sealed the tie with the final play. Two goals were scored with good play and finishing, but that wasn't all that happened.
The serious thing happened at 30 minutes of the first half, when Luca Regiardo , of Newell's, brought down Lucas Besozzi with a very hard foul, a situation for which Andrés Merlos, the referee of the match, received the call from the VAR, to review the action, because it could have been cause for expulsion.
As he approached the TV booth in front of the audience, a significant number of projectiles (some of them small pieces of ice) fell; one hit him in the face, and another later hit his right arm. "One more and we're out," Merlos was heard saying.
He could have suspended the match immediately. However, he only created a brief delay, waiting for him to recover and continue the game. And so it was.
With the police protecting him with their shields, he finally managed to analyze the incident and ordered Luca Regiardo to be sent off, creating even more tension at Parque Independencia. Thirty-five minutes into the first half, Merlos explained, "After seeing the images, I changed my decision. I changed the yellow card to a red card."
The match continued. Gonzalo Maroni scored (a fine finish) after an isolated play that also included a collision between two Central Córdoba defenders. It looked like it was going to be a win for Newell's. But no.
The very good team led by Omar de Felippe always has a trick up its sleeve. Verón sealed the 1-1 draw just five minutes later with a magical, smooth, pass into the net. The assist, with a backheel and in the box, came from Lucas Abascia , a defender with all the attributes of a playmaker. No one at Newell's could believe it because the move came from a dead ball that didn't seem difficult to neutralize. But they couldn't, and the Santiago del Estero team ended up salvaging a point.
Beyond the Ogre Fabbiani boost and a more solid structure, the Rosario team remains in debt, with 5 points from 4 matches.
Anything else? The Rosario team could have suffered another expulsion. And much sooner. Seventeen minutes into the first half, the ball was lying on the left side of the field when Ever Banega and Fernando Juárez , from the Santiago del Estero team, went to collect it. It seemed as though the Central Córdoba player was keeping the ball when he was hit from behind, at the ankle. What happened to him? He should have been sent off... he was just booked.
Meanwhile, Darío Benedetto was injured again and has yet to make his official debut in the Clausura tournament. It was reported that he suffered a muscle injury that will sideline him for the upcoming matches.
The forward, who was expected to start at the Coloso Marcelo Bielsa this Friday, according to what the coach had announced in an interview, was ruled out due to an apparent adductor tear.
Pipa's only playing time came in a friendly against Mazatlán during the tour of Mexico, but the forward had to leave the field 30 minutes into the first half due to physical discomfort, leading the coaching staff to keep him for the start of the championship.
Despite being included in the squad on several occasions, he never earned any official minutes. And Newell's remains winless.
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