El Rojo tied with Banfield and has not yet made sure to play in the playoffs

Independiente was the owner of the ball in the first stage: with 73% possession, it practically monopolized the management. The Drill, on the other hand, did not worry about tenure. He took the field with a 4-1-4-1, trying to maintain order, with little distance between the lines to cover the spaces with a lot of concentration, discipline and tactical rigor. It was not easy for the Avellaneda team to break their opponent’s solid defense. Those led by Falcioni also put Rey’s goal at risk when they came out with quick transitions to take advantage of some shortcomings in the retreat of their opponent’s sides, Isla and Damián Pérez. The goalkeeper showed off his reflexes to save the home team with a good save from Ignacio Rodríguez and a providential double save from Cañete and Milton Giménez.

It was difficult for Tevez’s team to progress on the field because their possession was thick, they lacked the surprise factor and they were very repetitive in their intention to attack through the projection of the leading markers, but they lacked play in the center of the field. A good advance by Báez and a subsequent shot by Matías Giménez was the clearest chance that Independiente had in the initial 45 minutes of the match.

The trend continued in the complement. El Rojo managed the ball, but was unable to create space against a tight opponent, with little distance between the lines, who knew how to close the paths very well. El Taladro was a tough team, which practically showed no cracks, which defended each ball with fierceness, application to the tactical script and zen concentration.

Independiente tried to move the ball, make it circulate throughout the attack front, but lacked a change of pace. It had no explosion or surprise factor. And the Banfield defenders ensured that Rojo’s forwards, Canelo and Matías Giménez, were immersed in a framework of permanent discomfort. Both had permanent custody, they were prisoners of an iron mark, they had no spaces, they always received with their backs to the goal and they had to move away from the area to be able to maneuver, but they collided again and again against the frustration of not being able to make a difference.

Banfield is the team that conceded the fewest goals in the regular phase of the League Cup, with six. This is a fact that eloquently reflects the defensive solidity of Falcioni’s team. In Avellaneda he built a practically impenetrable wall. A wall that Rojo did not know how to demolish and that he crashed into repeatedly. Tevez tried to give freshness and elaboration to his team with the income of the youthful Ruiz and Toloza, but both also fell prey to the siege built by the opponent.

Red was always the one who proposed. And Banfield was the one who waited in crouch to gallop out after each recovery. Banfield had very clear situations in the second half. Coronel had the victory served on a plate: he was one-on-one with Rey, but he scored wide. A while later, the goalkeeper stopped a very dangerous shot from the admitted Rivera.

Without fine tuning, Independiente could not and did not know how to build football. Almost all the plays and attempts were diluted in the field of insinuations. It was so difficult for the homeowner to elaborate that the clearest one he had in the complement was a header from Laso after a free kick center from Toloza.

Banfield has gone eight games without losing, with three wins and five draws. On the next date they will host Gimnasia, with the need to win to get into the playoffs. Independiente, who was fired with applause by a packed stadium, is no longer looking down. With Tevez he is now encouraged to dream of more auspicious goals. In two weeks, when you visit Talleres, you will know how much this tie is worth.