Círculo La Boca4 - 2FC Varela

Círculo La Boca dominated from the outset on the pitch of Primera L - GBA Norte and opened up a comfortable lead over Mutual Mataderos with a 4-2 that leaves no doubt about who was superior on matchday 20. Both teams came out in the same tactical shape, a balanced 4-4-2, but the difference lay in execution and in the home side's ability to turn their chances into goals. From the opening minutes, Círculo La Boca pressed high and found space down the flanks that Mutual Mataderos did not manage particularly well, especially down the side where Mariano Goñi attacked with his 37 years of experience patrolling the left wing.

Coco Zanini was the great standout of the afternoon, the 21-year-old striker who arrived at La Boca almost by chance, after a friendly between towns where the coach saw him score twice and asked him to come training the next day. Today he netted three and made it clear that the club's original gamble was more than justified. His movement and his ability to be in the right place at the right time showed in every attacking move from the team. Bauti Anchorena, the 34-year-old midfielder who brings experience from Resistencia, was the one who orchestrated the play from midfield, distributing with intelligence and giving the forwards breathing room. The match was fairly controlled by the home side, although Mutual Mataderos did not go down without a fight.

The visitors found space at times and took advantage to pull one back. Camilo Ruffini, the 25-year-old Brazilian left-back, and Yoel Zambrano, another player from Recife with experience in these matters, each scored one goal and kept hope alive at times. But Círculo La Boca were a step ahead in attacking intent. Vito Kozlowski, the 23-year-old centre-back who grew up on the dirt pitches of Bahía Blanca and arrived at La Boca with no fuss, was solid in defence and helped contain Yoel Zambrano's attacks whenever the visiting striker tried to link up. Pedro Garay, another veteran aged 34 with a background in Primera, was a loyal attacking partner for Zanini.

For Mutual Mataderos, Aníbal Aboud and Lucca Zamora tried to battle on from midfield. The 20-year-old Paraguayan, who arrived at the club almost by accident after a friendly where a scout saw him distributing the ball with precision, contributed to the play but it was not enough. Zamora also picked up a yellow card, as did Coco Zanini for La Boca, in a match where there was plenty of physical contact but no excessive disciplinary chaos. In the end, the win was clear and without major scares for the home side, consolidating their dominance in this phase of the competition.

In the last meeting between Círculo La Boca and FC Varela: 0 wins for Círculo La Boca, 0 draws and 1 for FC Varela.

• FC Varela 2-0 Círculo La Boca

Full Círculo La Boca vs FC Varela head-to-head →

Círculo La Boca (4-4-2): Quique Spagnoli, Levi Negrete, Vito Kozlowski, Cristian Cacciatore, Lionel Pratto, Mariano Goñi, Bauti Anchorena, Cataldo Bartolini, Lucho Mazza, Coco Zanini, Pedro Garay.

FC Varela (4-4-2): Hernán Bilbao, Camilo Ruffini, Brian Velez, Lolo Schneider, Brian Bedialauneta, Yago Villegas, Aníbal Aboud, Lucca Zamora, Gustavo Costa, Yoel Zambrano, Nazareno Bartoli.

In Primera L - GBA Norte, Círculo La Boca are in position 16 with 24 points; FC Varela are in position 1 with 56 points. See the full table

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Círculo La Boca, with 1,463 fans. Home ground: Estadio Círculo La Boca.

FC Varela, with 1,888 fans. Home ground: Bruno Joaquín Flores.

Next match for Círculo La Boca: vs su proximo rival — Sunday 1 November at 01:15 GMT

Next match for FC Varela: vs su proximo rival — Sunday 1 November at 01:00 GMT