Surprise team Huracan beat Arsenal 3-0 at home on Sunday to set up an Argentine Clausura championship decider against Velez Sarsfield next weekend.
Big guns River Plate and Boca Juniors both lost, Boca 2-1 at home to Gimnasia-La Plata under reserve coach Abel Alves, before the expected return next week of Alfio Basile following the sacking of Carlos Ischia.
Huracan snatched the lead in the standings by one point from Velez, who were held 1-1 at Lanus, the other team who began the day with a chance of lifting the title, but have dropped out of the picture.
Arsenal were a man short for more than an hour after midfielder Cristian Pellerano was sent off for a second booking and striker Mario Bolatti headed Huracan in front shortly before halftime.
Two goals in the final nine minutes sealed the win. Patricio Toranzo shot into the roof of the net from Javier Pastore’s low cross and less than two minutes later Matias Defederico, who recently won his first Argentina cap, raced between two defenders to steer home the third.
A draw at Velez will be enough for the title to go to Huracan, a modest club who have had little to cheer about since Cesar Luis Menotti steered them to their only championship in 1973 before taking charge of Argentina and leading them to World Cup victory in 1978.
Velez Sarsfield, looking for their sixth league title and first since 2005, have the credentials to spoil Huracan’s ambitions with the best defense and only one defeat in 18 matches.
They fell behind at Lanus to a goal by Jose Sand and had midfielder Fabian Cubero sent off in the 48th minute, but equalized with a 69th-minute penalty by Uruguayan striker Rodrigo Lopez.
Huracan, who have suffered relegation since their glory days, but can boast the great Alfredo di Stefano among their former players, are coached by Angel Cappa, a Spain-based Argentine who espouses the same attacking ideals as Menotti.
His young team have reduced older fans to tears with their spontaneous style and goals that have made them the most prolific team of the championship.
At Boca Junior’s Bombonera (Chocolate Box) Stadium, Gimnasia-La Plata took a surprise lead after only three minutes with a headed goal by Uruguayan forward Diego Alonso.
Boca equalized with a penalty by veteran striker Martin Palermo close to halftime, but Gimnasia snatched victory with defender Ariel Aguero’s header in the 54th minute.
Boca, defending champions having won the Apertura tournament in December, have 19 points, half the number of Huracan.
Sixth-placed River Plate’s 1-0 loss at Godoy Cruz to a ninth-minute goal by Ivan Borghello helped the home side stay clear of the relegation positions.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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