Facundo Affranchino scored an early goal as 10-man River Plate held on for a 1-0 win at Huracan in the Argentine Apertura tournament Sunday, recording a second win in as many games.
Affranchino forced the ball over the line after a run and pass from Gabriel Funes Mori in the 12th minute. River captain Ariel Ortega was sent off with 20 minutes left to play.
"Winning the first games is fundamental," River midfielder Matias Almeyda said. "After that, one thing leads to another and if we keep winning we will be in the fight for the championship."
Velez Sarsfield and Estudiantes also claimed second wins of the tournament to join River, Racing Club and Banfield on six points atop the table. Velez had a 2-1 victory at newly-promoted All Boys, while Estudiantes beat Quilmes 2-0.
Also Sunday, Olimpo won 1-0 against Gimnasia La Plata in a match delayed by a 30-minute power outage in the second half.
Ortega's red card in the 72nd minute meant River had to defend deep to protect the lead against Huracan, with veteran former Lazio midfielder Almeyda giving a strong performance in the holding role.
Despite starting the Apertura tournament well, River is still in the relegation playoff positions. Poor performances in the previous two seasons have left one of Argentina's biggest clubs near the bottom of the percentage table used to decide which clubs drop out of the top division each year.
Elsewhere, Maximiliano Moralez gave Velez the lead against All Boys with a curling free kick over the wall in the 37th minute. Moralez then provided the pass for Juan Manuel Martinez to add a second just before half time.
Fernando Sanchez pulled a goal back with a close-range header in the 79th, but All Boys remains winless after two matches since promotion to the top flight this season.
Rodrigo Brana and Hernan Lopez scored a goal apiece in the final 10 minutes in Estudiantes' home win against another newly-promoted club, Quilmes.
Brana scored a breakaway goal in the 72nd minute and Lopez scored from a penalty in stoppage time to seal the win.
Defender Marcelo Mosset scored Olimpo's goal in the 23rd minute of the interrupted match at home against Gimnasia.
In Friday and Saturday results it was: Colon 0, Banfield 1; Boca Juniors 1, Racing Club 2; Lanus 1, Newell's Old Boys 1; Tigre 1, Arsenal 2; San Lorenzo 2, Godoy Cruz 2.
Independiente hosts champion Argentinos Juniors on Monday.
