San Lorenzo de Almagro suffered a tough 0-2 defeat to Boca Juniors on Saturday in matchday 10 of the Liga Profesional Argentina Clausura. The match turned against Darío Insúa's side after an early red card for Manuel Insaurralde in the first half, paving the way for second-half goals from Leandro Lozano and Miguel Merentiel.
The loss leaves San Lorenzo in 10th place in the table with 11 points, from three wins, two draws and four losses in the first nine rounds. They now sit 11 points behind leaders Instituto de Córdoba and face a difficult trip to second-placed Defensa y Justicia on October 3rd.
The red card that changed everything
Insaurralde was shown a straight red card in the 31st minute for a serious foul, leaving San Lorenzo with ten men for almost an hour of play. Until that point, the team had deployed a five-defender setup with José Devecchi in goal and Rodrigo Auzmendi as the lone striker. A man down, Insúa was forced into early changes, bringing on Juan Rattalino for Alexis Cuello before the break.
Boca Juniors, managed by Rodolfo Arruabarrena, dominated the match with 75% possession and generated 15 shots, six on target. Goalkeeper Devecchi made four saves but could not stop Lozano's opener in the 57th minute, assisted by Leonel Flores. The second goal came in the 72nd, when Lautaro Blanco set up Merentiel to seal the 0-2 scoreline.
A limited attack
With a numerical disadvantage, San Lorenzo created little danger, registering only four shots in the entire match and just one on target, saved by Álvaro Montero. Besides the red, the referee showed yellow cards to substitutes Matías Reali and Franco Gulli. The statistics tell the story of a difficult night: 25% possession, two corners, and an xG of just 0.21 compared to their rival's 2.11.
The team now has an inconsistent run of form, with one win, two draws and two losses in their last five matches. Their next assignment is an away trip to a Defensa y Justicia side sitting second in the standings, making an immediate recovery essential. To review the available squad, visit our squad section.
