Estudiantes once again define a championship in 90 minutes. As happened months ago with River, or in December 2023 with Defensa y Justicia, now it is up to Vélez to settle the League Cup trophy. The final match at the Madre de Ciudades Stadium in Santiago del Estero.
It’s a head-to-head, there is no tomorrow. The one who wins celebrates, the other will be left with the logical anger of having lost a final of a very exciting championship and which in the previous season had, to mention, Central and Platense as finalists.
Both come to this last match after having passed the semi-final stage on penalties. But of course Estudiantes did it in a very different way from Vélez, first because of the characteristics of the rival: Boca; and second because after losing 1-0 they raised their collective performance, tied it up and came close to winning it in the 90 minutes. In the penalty shootout, Mansilla excelled and Pincha reached the final.
But just as the dimensions of each classification were dissimilar, so is this final because Students got rid of a heavy weight, to whom everyone had already pointed the finger that he was the champion. So now the responsibility and obligations are different. Clearly now the responsibility is greater for having left Boca in the way and because name by name, Pincha has more “names” than his current rival.
To what has been said, it must be said that because it is a final, a match where a title is defined, many things are left aside and minor details go into carving. So Estudiantes cannot isolate itself from the script that brought it here, from being the owner of the ball, from adding people in attack, from Carrillo or Correa, depending on who Eduardo Domínguez chooses, to be the beacon of the offensives but The greatest resources are on the wings to generate scoring situations.
Although of course, Vélez also has his scrolls and is not a finalist by chance. Their coach Gustavo Quinteros righted the ship after a hard beating by River and Pincha cannot neglect their opponent, nor their individualities nor the fact that they are a very fast team that passes the defense-attack line very quickly, situation which served him a lot to harm his opponents.
Students and another final. A cold mind and a warm heart will be the central axes so that that dream can come true again. Estudiantes and another 90 minutes ahead to further expand their rich history within Argentine football.
