Fernando Romero Nuñez The candidates for the 2025 Liga Profesional Torneo Apertura started to emerge as the tournament enters its quarter-final stage, with several of Argentine football’s most historied teams bidding to become champions.
River Plate were the final team to seal their spot in the quarters, thrashing Barracas Central 3-0 on Monday night. The Millonario, the second seeded team in group B, won with authority at home with goals from Paulo Díaz, Nacho Fernández and 2022 world cup winner Marcos Acuña.
“I took my wand out and made magic,” joked head coach Marcelo Gallardo about his team’s upturn in form recently. “This is just work, guys. Work, time, and determination.”
Gallardo’s team will host neighbors Platense in the next round at the Monumental stadium on May 20 at 8.30 p.m, after they beat Racing 1-0 on Saturday. The Copa Sudamericana champions were the only seeded team that didn’t win its first round game.
Group A winners Argentinos Juniors beat Cordoba’s Instituto 3-1 on Sunday and will receive San Lorenzo at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium. The late Pope Francis’ beloved team won through a last-minute goal, after holding on against Tigre with 10 players for most of the match. The clash will kick off next Monday, at 7 p.m.
On the other side of the draw, Independiente required some incredible acrobatics by Santiago Montiel to beat its Mendoza namesake Independiente Rivadavia on Sunday. The winger took advantage of a deflection off a corner to scissor kick the ball from outside the box and score.
“I hadn’t been playing lately, because of injuries I had. It was a tough time,” he said after the game. “Returning with a dream goal like that makes me very happy.”
El Rojo will visit Boca Juniors, who required a penalty shootout to overcome Lanús in a tense atmosphere. It’s been 13 years since Independiente last beat the Xeneize at La Bombonera, with the last win coming in a roller-coaster, 5-4 game in March 2012. They’ll look to end the streak next Monday at 9:30 p.m.
The last series will see Group B winners Rosario Central, who beat Estudiantes de La Plata 2-0 on Saturday, host Huracán, winners of an action-packed, 3-2 game against Deportivo Riestra. They will open the quarters when they meet up next Sunday at 7 p.m.
