Villa Riachuelo came through a tight, cagey fixture against Montserrat on matchday 8 of Primera L - GBA Norte, with one goal proving enough to settle the afternoon. The home side controlled the tempo without needing to play eye-catching football, making the most of a well-drilled defence and a midfield that gave the visitors very little room. The final 1-0 sums up a contest in which both sides opted for similar shapes, balanced in intent but unequal in execution.
Joaquín Zola, the 16-year-old Brazilian right-back, was the man who scored the decisive goal, backing up a solid defensive display on his flank. For Villa Riachuelo, Vidal Bottura pulled the strings from midfield with a rating of 7.4, while Bautista Vázquez, the 17-year-old left winger from Tigre, was a constant nuisance down the wing. Cristian Rotondo was also heavily involved in the attacking build-up, albeit without turning his efforts into goals. Bautista Zarate in the centre of the pitch did his defensive job, though he had to make do with a yellow card that limited his physical involvement somewhat.
For Montserrat, the experienced Gino Silvestre, Elián Berecibar and Lorenzo Arrizabalaga could not find the openings they needed against a home defence that held firm without much fuss. Silvestre, the 33-year-old striker, was virtually shut out, while Berecibar and Arrizabalaga — both in their thirties and with plenty of mileage — failed to create any real danger in attack. Villa Riachuelo picked up three valuable points with a performance lacking sparkle but effective; Montserrat leave empty-handed, feeling they let a chance slip against a rival who looked evenly matched.
AC Villa Riachuelo came in with 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat in their last 4 matches.
C. y Barrio Montserrat came in with 1 win, 3 draws and 0 defeats in their last 4 matches.
In the last meeting between AC Villa Riachuelo and C. y Barrio Montserrat: 0 wins for AC Villa Riachuelo, 0 draws and 1 for C. y Barrio Montserrat.
Full AC Villa Riachuelo vs C. y Barrio Montserrat head-to-head →
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.
C. y Barrio Montserrat (4-4-2): Augusto Bracco, Joel Martín, Sandro Vargas, Tomi Bonaccorsi, Damian Tévez, Román Arana, Damian Vigliani, Sebastian Bassi, Elián Berecibar, Lorenzo Arrizabalaga, Gino Silvestre.
In Primera L - GBA Norte, AC Villa Riachuelo are in position 9 with 41 points; C. y Barrio Montserrat are in position 7 with 43 points. See the full table
AC Villa Riachuelo, with 1,858 fans. Home ground: Estadio AC Villa Riachuelo.
C. y Barrio Montserrat, with 1,833 fans. Home ground: Estadio C. y Barrio Montserrat.
Next match for AC Villa Riachuelo: vs su proximo rival — Friday 30 October at 01:00 GMT
Next match for C. y Barrio Montserrat: 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.