Banfield, Platense Raise Quarterfinal Hopes
Yonathan Cabral: Banfield inched toward the quarterfinals of Argentina's Primera Division second phase with a 2-0 home win over Gimnasia on the final matchday of the regular season.
Yonathan Cabral: Banfield inched toward the quarterfinals of Argentina's Primera Division second phase with a 2-0 home win over Gimnasia on the final matchday of the regular season.
Yonathan Cabral gifted the hosts the lead just before the hour by unwittingly deflecting the ball into his own net, reports Xinhua.
The hosts doubled their advantage in stoppage time through Jesus Soraire, who combined with Geronimo Rivera before slotting a shot into the bottom left corner.
The result lifted Banfield to fourth in Group A with 23 points from 14 outings, a point ahead of fifth-placed Velez Sarsfield and three points clear of sixth-placed Rosario Central, who are due to play on Sunday.
In Group B, Platense also kept their title hopes alive as a first-half strike from Ronaldo Martinez gave them a 1-0 home win over Sarmiento. The victory catapulted Platense to fourth spot in the group while Sarmiento dropped to sixth.
Platense could still miss out on the knockout phase if Central Cordoba win at San Lorenzo on Monday.
