By Rex Gowar
BUENOS AIRES, April 22 (Reuters) – Boca Juniors stayed top
of the Argentine first division championship with a 1-1 draw at
Belgrano on Sunday while their relegated arch-rivals River Plate
enjoyed a crucial win at the Monumental.
Champions Boca have 21 points from 11 matches but can be
overtaken in the Clausura championship standings by Newell’s Old
Boys, who are one point behind before their match at Arsenal on
Monday.
Boca fell behind to a 23rd-minute goal by Matias Gimenez but
equalised four minutes after the interval when midfielder Walter
Erviti rifled a shot into the roof of the net.
Promoted Belgrano were the team that sent River Plate into
relegation for the first time by beating them in a playoff last
June.
River were at home to Instituto in a Primera B Nacional
(second tier) top-of-the-table clash on Saturday at the
Monumental, packed with a crowd of 55,000.
Defeat would have left River trailing Instituto in second
place by seven points but a goal by former France striker David
Trezeguet gave them a 1-0 win that leaves them a point behind.
The 34-year-old Trezeguet, rejuvenated since returning to
the city where he grew up to play for River, took his tally to
eight league goals.
While it was not his most eye-catching goal, scuffing the
loose ball into the net from a rebound off the goalkeeper, it
was arguably his most important so far.
“I wouldn’t change this goal for anything given it’s
importance (and) what this match meant,” Trezeguet told
reporters.
“We suffered to win. It was a thrill to see the Monumental
packed as it was.”
The first division has lost its “superclasico” derby with
River’s absence but they and Boca are both on course for the
final of the Copa Argentina knockout competition having reached
the quarter-finals.
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
