Rate it!

0 votes

Racing Club, waiting for the promised arrival of Lothar Matthaeus as their new coach, lost 1-0 at Newell's Old Boys to remain joint bottom in the Argentine championship.

Central defender Juan Insaurralde poked the ball home in a goal-mouth melee in the 69th minute after a corner, lifting Newell's to second in the Apertura standings behind Estudiantes, who went top with a 2-1 victory over Godoy Cruz in Mendoza.

Newell's midfielder Cristian Sanchez Prete was sent off a quarter of an hour from the end for a second yellow card offence but numbers evened out as Racing's Marcos Caceres went off injured with all three substitutions made.

"After two wins against the two best teams in the country (Estudiantes and Velez Sarsfield), I said we had to confirm our form against Racing," said Newell's coach Roberto Sensini.

Racing announced at the weekend that former German captain and Salzburg coach Matthaeus would arrive in Buenos Aires this week to take charge of the ailing team, one of Argentina's so-called big five.

Newell's have 23 points from 11 matches after three wins in a row. They are two points ahead of the weekend's leaders Colon, who visit Independiente on Wednesday, and three above Estudiantes who have the better goal difference.

Racing, who have been under caretaker Juan Barbas for the last three matches since Ricardo Caruso Lombardi resigned as coach, have five points and no wins.

South American champions Estudiantes, who came from a goal down to beat Godoy Cruz, have 23 points from 11 matches and are ahead of Newell's on goal difference.

Centre back Leandro Desabato scored the winner six minutes from time. Godoy Cruz had defender Leonardo Sigali sent off with two minutes left and team mate Carlos Valencia was also shown the red card three minutes into stoppage time.

Estudiantes and Newell's are two points ahead of Colon, who visit Independiente on Wednesday, and title holders Velez, who won 2-1 at Atletico Tucuman with a Maxi Moralez penalty four minutes into stoppage time.

Atletico, who had had the better of the game, were furious with the penalty decision, claiming Velez's Rolando Zarate had dived, and remonstrated with referee Pablo Lunati, who was escorted off the pitch by riot police.

Independiente on Wednesday will inaugurate their revamped stadium, renamed Libertadores de America after their record seven South American club titles, after nearly three years of playing home games at borrowed grounds.

Their joy was soured on Tuesday when half a dozen armed vandals smeared parts of the stadium with light blue and white paint in an attack thought to have been by hardcore fans of their arch-rivals Racing - who play in blue and white.

Racing, however, expressed their disgust and solidarity with Independiente whose stadium is within view a stone's throw across wasteland in the Buenos Aires suburb of Avellaneda.

Reuters