General Güemes de Balvanera took a comfortable victory at Almagro's pitch in matchday 17 of the Primera L del GBA Oeste, with a 2-0 scoreline that reflected the differences between two teams that, beyond sharing a formation and balanced mentality, found very different destinies in the first half. The visitors came into the fixture with several names that spoke of proven craft: Leandro Vidale in defence, Octavio Klein in midfield and Máximo Rastelli in attack, three footballers of around thirty who bring the experience of having played in lower and higher divisions. Almagro, by contrast, were backing a young structure with Andrés Astudillo, aged seventeen, between the posts and full-backs such as Yair Jiménez, just sixteen, who arrived at the club a couple of years ago carrying with him the legacy of his older brother's broken boots. That age difference, which on paper might not have meant much, ended up being decisive on the pitch.
General Güemes controlled the tempo from the outset. Román Mejia, the Uruguayan left-back who arrived in Buenos Aires with nothing but the determination of someone brave enough to cross a river without knowing how to swim, carried out a solid defensive role that allowed the visitors' attack to flow uninterrupted. Camilo Arechaga on the right wing, that 25-year-old Brazilian who grew up in Porto Alegre kicking flat balls about, found space to hurt them. And Máximo Rastelli, the 31-year-old ambidextrous forward raised on the dirt pitches of Resistencia, was lethal in front of goal. The experienced midfielder scored the first goal with the clarity of someone who has spent too many afternoons studying opposition goalkeepers. Shortly afterwards, Camilo Arechaga sealed the outcome with the second, showing that the visitors' attack had several ways of causing trouble.
Almagro never found answers. Adrián Palomeque on the left wing, the 26-year-old veteran with that heading scar that stands out when he smiles, tried to create danger but his efforts faded in a midfield where Octavio Klein exerted clear control. General Güemes' defensive midfielder, born in Comodoro Rivadavia 28 years ago, was the safety valve that allowed his side to circulate the ball without alarm. Astudillo, the Mendoza goalkeeper of just seventeen, was not to blame for the goals but watched his team collapse defensively.
The final numbers confirmed what the pitch had already told us: General Güemes played better, took their chances and went home with the victory under their arm. For Almagro, it was a lesson in realism: on a matchday packed with so much excitement in the GBA Oeste, teams that play with experience and conviction usually take the three points. General Güemes de Balvanera, with Vidale, Klein and Rastelli showing why they are where they are, left no doubts about their superiority.
Almagro came in with 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats in their last 5 matches.
General Güemes de Balvanera came in with 1 win, 0 draws and 4 defeats in their last 5 matches.
In the last 2 meetings between Almagro and General Güemes de Balvanera: 1 win for Almagro, 1 draw and 0 for General Güemes de Balvanera.
Almagro (4-4-2): Andrés Astudillo, Galo Cadel, Mauricio Altuna, Yoel Carrasco, Yair Jiménez, Adrián Palomeque, Dante Wolf, Ramon Spadafora, Nahuel Mora, Walter Botti, Turco Greenberg.
General Güemes de Balvanera (4-4-2): Valentín Zerbi, Román Mejia, Leandro Vidale, Walter Escobar, Xavier Saade, Lucas Yáñez, Octavio Klein, Tomás Frutos, Camilo Arechaga, Máximo Rastelli, Gabriel Berman.
In Primera L - GBA Oeste, Almagro are in position 8 with 42 points; General Güemes de Balvanera are in position 11 with 39 points. See the full table
Almagro, with 1,687 fans. Home ground: Estadio Almagro.
General Güemes de Balvanera, with 1,666 fans. Home ground: Estadio General Güemes de Balvanera.
Next match for Almagro: vs su proximo rival — Sunday 1 November at 01:00 GMT
Next match for General Güemes de Balvanera: vs su proximo rival — Sunday 1 November 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.