Círculo La Boca beat AC Villa Riachuelo 2-1 in a match where both teams set up with the same structure, but the home side showed better judgement at key moments. It was not a footballing spectacle, but it was a match that justified the home side's victory. Villa Riachuelo left Bajo Flores with the bitter taste of a defeat they could have avoided had they been more clinical with the chances they created over the ninety minutes.
Coco Zanini was decisive in Círculo La Boca's attack: he scored one goal and played a part in the other, showing why his 7.7 rating places him among the best in this GBA Norte area. The Tandil-born forward has a knack for being in exactly the right place when the ball arrives, without needing to show off. In defence, Quique Spagnoli made several good saves in the first half, when Villa Riachuelo were pressing higher up the pitch. Vito Kozlowski performed without any fuss at centre-back for the home side, while Mariano Goñi on the left continues to show that 37 years of age have not slowed him down too much. Lucho Mazza, on the right, was a nuisance for spells of the match.
For Villa Riachuelo, Gabriel Zerbi scored the consolation goal and was one of the few bright spots in a performance where the away side could not turn pressure into results. The 28-year-old centre-back has plenty of experience and understands defensive timing, but on this occasion he fell short when it came to building play from the back, which was what his team needed to attack with clarity. Círculo La Boca managed the pace of the match better and knew how to defend solidly when necessary. It was not brilliant, but it was effective, which is enough in this division.
Círculo La Boca came in with 3 wins, 0 draws and 2 defeats in their last 5 matches.
AC Villa Riachuelo came in with 2 wins, 0 draws and 3 defeats in their last 5 matches.
In the last meeting between Círculo La Boca and AC Villa Riachuelo: 0 wins for Círculo La Boca, 0 draws and 1 for AC Villa Riachuelo.
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.
AC Villa Riachuelo (4-4-2): Yanis Zola, Tincho Aloma, Adolfo Amezaga, Gabriel Zerbi, Joaquín Zola, Bautista Vázquez, Bautista Zarate, Vidal Bottura, Cristian Rotondo, Axel Schäfer, Aníbal Brancato.
In Primera L - GBA Norte, Círculo La Boca are in position 16 with 24 points; AC Villa Riachuelo are in position 9 with 41 points. See the full table
Círculo La Boca, with 1,438 fans. Home ground: Estadio Círculo La Boca.
AC Villa Riachuelo, with 1,858 fans. Home ground: Estadio AC Villa Riachuelo.
Next match for Círculo La Boca: vs su proximo rival — Friday 30 October at 01:15 GMT
Next match for AC Villa Riachuelo: vs su proximo rival — Friday 30 October at 01:00 GMT
This match was played by two real managers on ELDT, the free online football manager game. Take your own club from the bottom all the way to the top flight.