Argentinos Juniors moved into second place in the Argentine
Clausura tournament after beating relegation-threatened Gimnasia La
Plata 3-1 on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Juan Roman Riquelme returned from injury to
inspire Boca Juniors to a 2-0 win at home against San Lorenzo,
while Racing Club won 2-0 against Banfield and Atletico Tucuman was
relegated after a 2-2 draw with Rosario Central.
Estudiantes tops the standings with 33 points after 16 games,
one point ahead of Argentinos with three rounds remaining.
Nestor Ortigoza opened the scoring for Argentinos against
Gimnasia with a penalty in the 28th minute.
Lucas Castro equalized after goalkeeper Nicolas Peric fumbled
a long-range shot from Alvaro Ormeno in the 68th, but Argentinos
regained the lead a minute later when Ismael Sosa tapped in Gonzalo
Prosperi's low cross.
The win was made safe when Santiago Raymonda rounded the
goalkeeper for Argentinos' third on the counter attack in the 87th
minute.
The defeat means Gimnasia will almost certainly face a
two-leg playoff with a team from the second division to decide
whether it will stay in the top flight.
Matias Gimenez gave Boca the lead against San Lorenzo at home
in the Bombonera stadium with a header from Riquelme's corner in
the fourth minute.
Riquelme was again the provider when Martin Palermo scored in
the 71st minute and both players embraced in celebration despite
the public feud between them.
The victory enables Boca to climb above fierce rival River
Plate in the standings, though both clubs are enduring seasons to
forget. Boca is now 15th, with River down in 17th in the 20-team
league.
Luis Rodriguez twice gave Atletico Tucuman the lead with
strikes in the 3rd and 52nd minutes against Rosario Central in a
game the home side had to win to have a chance of avoiding
relegation.
But Jose Zelaya equalized in the 22nd minute and Milton
Caraglio pulled Central back level for the second time in the 59th.
Matias Martinez and Claudio Bieler scored in the final 15
minutes as Racing Club beat defending champion Banfield in a clash
between two teams in mid-table.
