Argentinos Jrs – Belgrano: Belgrano Clinch A Spot in the Apertura Playoffs Final After Penalty Shootout Win (1-1, 3-4 Pens)

Belgrano’s slow start kept them out of the game until later in the second half. Argentinos kept the game open due to their wastefulness in front of goal and were later punished for it. They generated chances for themselves by asking multiple questions from the Belgrano back-line. With Belgrano finding momentum later in the game, destiny shifted away from Argentinos’ hands.

Tactical analysis and match report by Ebuka Ogoegbunam.

Argentinos Juniors finished third in the Apertura Group B standings and were matched against a side that ended just two places behind them during the group phase. Belgrano secured fifth place to book their spot in the playoff semi-finals, arriving with momentum and defensive resilience after navigating a dramatic run of results without conceding a single goal. With a place in the final at stake, both sides entered the contest knowing the magnitude of the occasion, as ninety minutes stood between them and the opportunity to fight for the title.

The home team set up with Brayan Cortés in goal alongside a back four of Leandro Lozano, Román Riquelme, Francisco Álvarez and Sebastián Prieto. Federico Fattori, Nicolás Oroz, and Alan Lescano made up the midfield. Iván Morales, Tomás Molina and Facundo Jainikoski led the line in the attack.

For the visitors, Thiago Cardozo started in goal. Leonardo Morales, Alexis Maldonado, Lisandro López and Adrián Spörle made the defensive line. Santiago Longo and Adrián Sánchez paired up in midfield, with Lucas Zelarayán slightly ahead of them in the attacking midfield. Francisco González Metilli, Lucas Passerini, and Emiliano Rigoni made the front three in attack.

Argentinos play through Belgrano’s press

Argentinos set up in a 4-2-2-2 shape on the ball. Morales from the right wing joined Molina up front. Jainikoski drifted away from holding the width on the left wing and dropped into the attacking midfield areas. This meant both fullbacks, Prieto and Lozano, held the width for Argentinos in the final third. Oroz joined Fattori to form a double pivot.

Belgrano defended in a 4-4-2/4-2-4 shape, with a high zonal press. Zelarayán and Passerini led the press with both constantly applying pressure to the Argentinos’ center backs. Argentinos found joy in the build-up phase when trying to play through the Belgrano press. They used the overload in midfield to progress through central areas. Belgrano’s zonal block was constantly penetrated through these combinations.

Belgrano were overloaded in the second line of the press, with Fattori and Oroz overloading Sánchez in the middle. Early on, Longo failed to be aggressive and was reluctant to put pressure. This allowed Argentinos to use their spare man by baiting the front press and play through.

Belgrano’s frontline put pressure while Oroz and Fattori overload Sabchez in the middle.

Argentinos gained had control early on with their patience in the first line of build up. Belgrano, however, adjusted later in the game by assigning one of the pressing two, leading the press, to cover the extra pivot, when the ball had gone wide. Belgrano put pressure in wide areas, forcing Argentinos to go long at times.

Argentinos used their goalie at times to attract the pressure during the build-up. Belgrano putting pressure on the goalkeeper, gave Argentinos a better chance of using the extra man with the goalkeeper involved this time. Belgrano didn’t find answers in the first half and were forced to defend a lot due to the lack of solutions to handle the overload in the middle.

Argentinos used their goalkeeper in the press to attract pressure for Argentinos to play through and progress up the pitch.

Argentinos’ attacking dynamics

Argentinos were very direct when they arrived in the final third, especially when they broke through quickly. Fullbacks were high and wide, with midfielders making attacking runs in the half spaces. Belgrano failed to defend these sequences, and they conceded the same sequence for the opener.

Argentinos play out of the press by finding the switch on the far side to the fullback, Lozano. Lozano plays the ball to Morales, who finds Lescano in the half space. Lescano plays a ball into the box for Jainikoski to score from close range. The buildup to the goal showed multiple displays of sequences that they had generated in earlier moments.

Argentinos’ first goal. Lescano making half-space runs to dismantle the Belgrano backline.

The early goal was crucial but didn’t restrict Argentinos’ style of play in the first half. Belgrano didn’t do enough to get back into the game until the second half.

The second half shifted momentum away from Argentinos. They became sloppy in possession because of the pressure Belgrano put on them in the second half. The game swung to even in terms of possession. Argentinios sat in a 4-4-2 mid-block and allowed Belgrano to have the ball more.

The game tilted towards Belgrano keeping the ball and Argentinios looking to counterattack. Argentinios used their fullbacks to attack as they shifted to a more direct approach later in the game. The positioning of Jainikoski drags the right back and gives space for Prieto to attack the space conceded.

Jainikoski drops to attack his fullback while Prieto attacks the space behind.

Belgrano improved as the second half progressed and, with more box entries, gained more confidence to continue pushing for the equalizer. As the game entered its last stages of extra time, Belgrano eventually got the equalizer through persistence.

Franco Vázquez played a ball into the box to find Passerini in the box. Passerini’s touch laid the ball perfectly for the substitute, Nicolás Fernández, to strike from inside the box. Heartbreak for Argentinos and the fans as they were minutes away from making the Apertura final.

Both teams pushed against each other in extra time, with Argentinos having more of the ball while Belgrano resisted putting much pressure, and at the same time held their shape. With nothing separating the two sides in extra time, penalties had to be the decider.

During the shootout, Argentinos looked likely to progress after leading 2-0, with Belgrano missing their first two penalties. Argentinos’ back-to-back penalty misses gave room for Belgrano to win the game on penalties.

Takeaways

Argentinos Juniors controlled long periods of the contest with their structured possession play, but their inefficiency in front of goal allowed Belgrano to remain alive before eventually progressing after a dramatic penalty shootout. Argentinos began the game with authority, consistently bypassing Belgrano’s high press through intelligent midfield overloads and calm circulation from the back. Their 4-2-2-2 structure created central superiority, with Federico Fattori and Nicolás Oroz finding space between Belgrano’s first and second lines of pressure. The use of the goalkeeper in build-up also helped them attract pressure before exploiting the spare man in midfield.

Argentinos’ attacking structure was aggressive and vertical once they progressed into the final third. Both fullbacks pushed high and wide, while the attacking midfielders occupied the half spaces to destabilize Belgrano’s defensive shape. Their opening goal perfectly reflected these dynamics, as quick progression through the press and sharp movement around the box allowed Facundo Jainikoski to finish from close range after a well-worked sequence. The home side repeatedly exposed Belgrano’s defensive line in similar moments but failed to convert their dominance into a more comfortable lead.

The second half gradually shifted in Belgrano’s favor as they adjusted their pressing approach and became more aggressive without the ball. Argentinos began losing composure in possession, allowing Belgrano to gain territory and momentum through sustained pressure and increased box entries. With Argentinos dropping into a more passive mid-block, Belgrano continued to push forward and eventually found their equalizer late in extra time through Nicolás Fernández after excellent work inside the penalty area.

Although Argentinos looked set to progress after Belgrano missed their first two penalties, momentum swung once again during the shootout. Belgrano’s resilience, tactical adjustments, and composure under pressure ultimately secured their place in the Apertura final, proving how decisive efficiency and mentality can be in knockout football.

Match plots will be added as soon as possible.