Vélez Sarsfield – San Lorenzo: Vélez concede late as San Lorenzo fight back into playoff contention (2-2)

Vélez’s bright start suggested that San Lorenzo’s momentum would gradually fade as the game progressed. However, football is often decided by moments, and one particular moment proved to be the turning point for San Lorenzo. They found a way to capitalise on key moments, gradually growing in confidence and finding their way back into the game. While San Lorenzo began to build momentum, Vélez were left to rue several missed opportunities to take control of the contest. What initially looked like a game slipping away from San Lorenzo gradually became one in which Vélez failed to make their early dominance count.

Tactical analysis and match report by Ebuka Ogoegbunam.

Vélez Sarsfield came into this fixture in impressive form, having recorded three wins in their previous five league games. Their emphatic 5-0 victory over Central Córdoba in their last outing further strengthened their confidence heading into this encounter. Sitting second in the league standings, Vélez had an opportunity to maintain their push towards the top of the table and extend their strong run of results at home.

San Lorenzo, on the other hand, arrived following a goalless draw against Newell’s Old Boys. Although their recent form had been inconsistent, they had managed to pick up important results, including victories over Estudiantes and Deportivo Riestra. With three consecutive games without defeat, San Lorenzo looked to build on their improving momentum and challenge a Vélez side that had shown greater attacking consistency. The encounter presented an interesting contrast between Vélez’s attacking confidence and San Lorenzo’s determination to remain competitive against one of the league’s stronger sides. The away team were under more pressure to get a result considering their fight to reach the playoffs.

Vélez Sarsfield lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Tomás Marchiori in goal behind a defensive line of Joaquín García, Thiago Silvero, Lisandro Magallán and Elías Gómez. Claudio Baeza partnered Lucas Robertone in the double pivot, while Manuel Lanzini operated ahead of them in attacking midfield. Matías Pellegrini and Juan Policella occupied the wide positions, with Ronaldo Martínez leading the attack. Vélez were without Rodrigo Aliendro, who was suspended following his red card in the previous game, while Emanuel Mammana was unavailable through injury.

San Lorenzo set up with José Devecchi in goal, behind a defensive unit featuring Nahuel Arias, Guzmán Corujo, Danilo Arboleda, Emiliano Amor and Teo Rodríguez Pagano. Nicolás Tripichio and Facundo Gulli operated in midfield, with Facundo Farías playing in an advanced role behind the attacking partnership of Alexis Cuello and Rodrigo Auzmendi. San Lorenzo were without Cristian Nahuel Barrios, who was sidelined with a long-term injury.

Chaotic Wingers

Vélez set up in a 4-2-3-1 shape on the ball with their usual fluid roles in this setup. Their fullbacks were given the license to push up and occupy the width while the wingers often stayed inside. While the wingers stayed inside the pockets or between the lines, they were given the license to overload horizontal lanes.

The wingers were given free roles in attacking phases. The wingers not only interchanged positions but also occupied the same wing at times, creating chaos for the opposition. Vélez’s wingers, Pellegrini and Policella, were constantly moving. At times, both wingers occupied the same zone to find spaces in those areas. This was a key principle to their attack in this game and this caused a few problems for San Lorenzo.

Pellegrini and Policella’s random movements and horizontal overloads.

San Lorenzo defended in a 3-4-1-2 shape. When they pressed high in this shape, they failed to consistently restrict Vélez’s progression. The lack of coherence from the first and second lines of pressure from San Lorenzo gave Vélez openings to progress through.

When Vélez were able to play through the first line of San Lorenzo’s pressure, it was seamless to get into attacking areas because of how random the wingers moved with respect to the ball.

Vélez progressing through the first line of San Lorenzo finding Robertone when Gulli doesn’t get tight to his marker.

Vélez’s Quick-fire Double

The home side started with greater attacking intent with the wingers alongside Lanzini very much involved. Vélez often shifted to a 3-1-6 shape when the fullbacks pushed up and a midfielder dropped into the first line.

The random movements between the wingers in the middle of the pitch caused Lanzini to roam and look for other spaces to create some sort of spatial balance in the attacking third. Lanzini also dropped into the second line of the build-up, shifting to a 3-2-5 shape.

This structure overloaded the San Lorenzo pressure in the first line. Facing 3v2s in the first line and an overload in the second line of pressure made it harder for San Lorenzo to pin Vélez into their half.

Vélez’s overloads in the first and second line of San Lorenzo pressure.

Vélez got into a lot of attacking positions, especially through wide areas. The wingers, fullbacks and midfielders all looked to exploit this space in the final third. They made half-space runs, exploiting the spaces between San Lorenzo’s wide centre-backs and their wingbacks. San Lorenzo lacked compactness when defending, but also required their defence to be more reactive to the attacking actions.

Vélez’s half-space actions.

Vélez got two quick goals in the first half. One of them came from similar half-space runs made multiple times in the game. Pellegrini was able to deliver a cross into the box before Policella was able to turn it in from a wide angle. Not long afterwards, they added another. A low cross into the box deflected into Pellegrini’s path to score the second for Vélez.

Going two goals down, San Lorenzo were more direct on the ball, but at the same time prioritised keeping numbers in the defensive line to keep themselves in the game. The away side used their two strikers more in their 3-4-1-2 shape. They played long and looked to combine with each other but Vélez made it difficult.

However, San Lorenzo found an opening and took it instantly. Auzmendi was able to receive the ball through a direct low pass from Tripichio before he played a pass into Cuello’s path. Cuello reduced the deficit to just one goal just before half time. In the second half, San Lorenzo were able to make the game chaotic which opened up space in the game.

San Lorenzo were able to equalise towards the closing stages of the game from an indirect free kick that fell for Auzmendi after the ball deflected off the post. San Lorenzo were able to gain a huge point in the end as their fight for playoff contention continues with one final match day left.

Takeaways

Vélez Sarsfield’s 2-2 draw against San Lorenzo was a game of contrasting momentum, with both sides experiencing periods where they looked capable of taking control. Vélez started brightly, using their fluid attacking movements, wide overloads and half-space runs to create problems for San Lorenzo’s defensive structure. Their superiority was reflected in two quick first-half goals, putting them in a commanding position. However, San Lorenzo showed resilience when they needed it most. Their direct approach provided a route back into the contest, with Auzmendi and Cuello combining to reduce the deficit before half-time.

The second half became increasingly chaotic as San Lorenzo grew in confidence and Vélez struggled to make their attacking opportunities count. The visitors continued to find ways to threaten and eventually got their reward through a late equaliser from an indirect free kick. For Vélez, it was a missed opportunity to turn an early advantage into three points. For San Lorenzo, however, the comeback represented a valuable result in their pursuit of playoff contention. Ultimately, the game demonstrated how quickly momentum can shift when one side fails to capitalise on its periods of dominance.

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