Mutual Liniers sealed a victory that will allow them to breathe a little in the Primera L GBA Oeste table after thrashing Almagro at the home ground with a convincing 2-0. The away side did not need to throw itself into all-out attack. With a 4-4-2 formation and an even mentality, the Liniers side found just the right spaces to finish off an Almagro team that tried to mirror them tactically but lacked the precision or intensity to trouble Lionel Mendoza, the 23-year-old goalkeeper who was practically a spectator for the ninety minutes. Mendoza, with a rating of 7.7, was never really tested; his job was reduced to staying alert without having to intervene almost at all.
The match unfolded without drama. Almagro, with its even setup, looked to create from midfield with Turco Greenberg as the playmaker, but the 29-year-old midfielder could only rarely link up with Walter Botti in attack. Botti, another 29-year-old with a rating of 6.3, moved well enough but found little usable space. At the back, Yoel Carrasco in defence tried to keep things organised, although Mutual Liniers' pressure was contained but effective. For the visitors, Wilfredo Aldecoa stood out in central midfield with a 7.5 rating, setting the tempo of the game, Nazareno Halim on the left flank with 7.6, and Simón Borda on that same side with 7.3, where he had clear chances. Nahuel Schwartzman up front, with a rating of 7.3, closed down space well and took part in the build-up to the attacking play.
The difference lay in efficiency rather than domination. Mutual Liniers took their chances with the pragmatism that marks good provincial football. Almagro picked up a yellow for Greenberg but could not turn the result around. For the ELDT manager, it was a night to review how the team failed to find rhythm or attitude when it mattered most.
Almagro came in with 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats in their last 5 matches.
Los Rayos Dorados came in with 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat in their last 5 matches.
In the last meeting between Almagro and Los Rayos Dorados: 0 wins for Almagro, 1 draw and 0 for Los Rayos Dorados.
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.
Los Rayos Dorados (4-4-2): Lionel Mendoza, Nazareno Halim, Santiago Valdés, Lisandro Mazza, Raúl Matos, Simón Borda, Wilfredo Aldecoa, Víctor Zambon, Camilo Grosso, Nahuel Schwartzman, Roberto Bartolozzi.
In Primera L - GBA Oeste, Almagro are in position 8 with 42 points; Los Rayos Dorados are in position 12 with 39 points. See the full table
Almagro, with 1,687 fans. Home ground: Estadio Almagro.
Los Rayos Dorados ("LRD"), with 1,624 fans. Home ground: Estadio Mutual LRD.
Next match for Almagro: vs su proximo rival — Sunday 1 November at 01:00 GMT
Next match for Los Rayos Dorados: 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.