Gimnasia L.P. 2-1 Tigre: Auzmendi penalty settles a 14-shot contest

Gimnasia L.P. defeated Tigre 2-1 at Estadio Juan Carmelo Zerillo in La Plata on Saturday, securing victory in the eighth round of the Liga Profesional Argentina Clausura. The hosts led 1-0 at half-time before holding on after Tigre equalised early in the second half.

Gimnasia take control before the interval

Gimnasia had an opportunity to open the scoring in the 15th minute, but Ignacio Fernández missed a penalty. The setback did not prevent the hosts from continuing to create pressure, and they eventually went ahead just before the break. Germán Conti scored in the 45th minute, converting an assist from Fernández to give Gimnasia a 1-0 advantage.

The interval brought two changes for Tigre, with Martin Garay replacing Bruno Javier Leyes Sosa and Mauro Méndez coming on for Santiago Lopez Grobin. Those adjustments were followed by a quick response: Ignacio Russo equalised in the 50th minute, restoring balance to the contest and adding a goal to his strong individual performance.

A decisive penalty restores the lead

Gimnasia regained their advantage in the 67th minute when Agustin Auzmendi converted a penalty. Auzmendi was substituted for Marcelo Torres 10 minutes later, while Gimnasia also introduced Franco Ramón Torres, Matías Melluso and Rodrigo Agustín Colazo during the second half as coach A. Pereyra managed the closing stages.

The match became increasingly disciplinary after the restart. Tigre collected four yellow cards, including bookings for Mateo Seoane, Felipe Tomas Zenobio, Mauro Méndez and Ignacio Russo. Gimnasia received three, with Enzo Martínez and Ignacio Miramon cautioned alongside Seoane. There were no red cards.

Tigre had possession, but Gimnasia created more

Tigre held 52% possession and completed 290 accurate passes from 371 total, compared with Gimnasia’s 249 accurate passes from 327. However, the hosts produced the sharper attacking numbers. Gimnasia recorded 14 shots to Tigre’s 12, had 12 attempts from inside the box against seven, and placed six shots on target compared with three for the visitors. Their five corners to Tigre’s one also reflected their greater territorial threat, despite having less of the ball.

I. Fernández was the standout performer with a 7.7 rating. Although he missed the early penalty, he finished with an assist, three shots on target, four key passes and seven tackles across 90 minutes. Conti’s goal and Russo’s equaliser made the scoreline competitive, but Auzmendi’s penalty proved decisive.

Impact on the Clausura table

Gimnasia began the round fifth in Clausura Group B with 12 points from seven matches; the win takes them to 15 points after eight games. Tigre entered fourth with 12 points and remains on that total after suffering defeat. The result gives Gimnasia a win after their listed run of mixed recent results, while Tigre’s recent sequence of wins and draws now includes this loss.