On Saturday, Argentinos Juniors claimed a decisive 2-0 victory against Vélez in the second round of the Clausura, effectively knocking the latter out of contention for the quarter-finals. The standout performer of the match was Hernán López Muñoz, who opened the scoring in the 57th minute with a brilliant strike and sealed the game just four minutes later.
López Muñoz’s first goal came from an impressive team play, as Federico Fattori set him up perfectly at the edge of the box, allowing him to unleash a powerful shot into the bottom right corner of the net.
Despite several attempts, Vélez struggled to find the back of the net. Notable was Florián Monzón’s shot in the 78th minute that rattled the woodwork, further highlighting the team’s frustration in front of goal.
The match saw López Muñoz shine with two goals, two shots on target, and an impressive 16 accurate passes, earning him the title of Man of the Match. Federico Fattori also played a crucial role for Argentinos Juniors, completing 59 passes and making 7 steals during the game.
The coach of Vélez, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, opted for a 4-4-2 formation, placing Tomás Marchiori in goal, and fielding Jano Gordón, Thiago Silvero, Aarón Quirós, and Elías Gómez as defenders. The midfield consisted of Rodrigo Aliendro, Agustín Bouzat, Manuel Lanzini, and Tomás Galván, while Maher Carrizo and Florián Monzón led the attack.
In contrast, Nicolás Diez’s Argentinos Juniors deployed a 4-3-3 setup with Gonzalo Siri Payer guarding the goal, and Leandro Lozano, Francisco Álvarez, Erik Godoy, and Sebastián Prieto in defense. The midfield featured Alan Lescano, Federico Fattori, and Nicolás Oroz, supporting the forward trio of Hernán López Muñoz, Diego Porcel, and Tomás Molina.
The referee for this encounter at the Fortín was Andrés Merlos, whose officiating was generally well-received.
With this convincing victory, Argentinos Juniors move on to the quarter-finals of the Clausura.
Substitutions for Vélez
54’ 2T – Manuel Lanzini replaced by Diego Valdés
70’ 2T – Tomás Galván replaced by Álex Verón and Elías Gómez replaced by Tobías Andrada
Bookings for Vélez:
4’ 1T Jano Gordón, 6’ 2T Rodrigo Aliendro, 14’ 2T Álvaro Montero, 20’ 2T Agustín Bouzat, and 40’ 2T Aarón Quirós
Red cards for Vélez:
28’ 2T Agustín Bouzat (second yellow) and 50’ 2T Guillermo Barros Schelotto (straight red)
Substitutions for Argentinos Juniors
75’ 2T – Hernán López Muñoz replaced by Emiliano Viveros
79’ 2T – Alan Lescano replaced by Gabriel Florentín and Tomás Molina replaced by Ismael Sosa
87’ 2T – Nicolás Oroz replaced by Lucas Gómez and Diego Porcel replaced by Manuel Brondo
Bookings for Argentinos Juniors:
23’ 1T Francisco Álvarez, 14’ 2T Diego Porcel, 38’ 2T Gabriel Florentín, and 40’ 2T Federico Fattori