Vélez Sarsfield vs Estudiantes Match Report
Argentine Clausura champions Velez Sarsfield leaped into third-place after edging Estudiantes de La Plata 1-0 at the Jose Amalfitani stadium on Tuesday.
Velez held onto their 6th minute goal from David Ramirez to claim three crucial points that keep them in the running to fight for the championship. With 20 points from twelve matches, Velez find themselves two points behind Atletico Rafaela and eight behind Boca.
Ricardo Gareca's side dominated their opponents for much of the game, and would have doubled their lead on a couple of occasions if it wasn't for the heroics of Estudiantes goalkeeper Damian Albil.
In the second period Estudiantes picked up their game as they went looking for the equaliser. They came closest to scoring through Mariano Gonzalez, when his fierce crossed shot was pushed out for a corner-kick by Velez goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero. The Velez goalkeeper also kept out a good effort from Mauro Boselli late on.
Despite a slow start to their campaign, which seemed much to do with the transfers of key players Santiago Silva, Maximiliano Moralez and Ricky Alvarez, all to Italy's Serie A, Velez have been in fine form not only in the league but also in the Copa Sudamericana, having advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition last week.