Newell's won 2-1 with more possession, more shots and a clear case for it

Newell's Old Boys came away with a 2-1 win over Central Córdoba (Santiago del Estero) at Estadio Marcelo Bielsa, and the scoreline was very well supported by the numbers. The home side controlled the match with 61% possession, took 19 shots and created chances worth 1.9 goals, while the visitors managed only 6 attempts and produced 0.4.

Tactical read

The difference between the two sides lay in Newell's ability to spend more time in the opposition half and turn that possession into attacking volume. With 61% possession and a 4-3-3 setup, the home side found more consistency getting to goal: 7 of its 19 shots were on target. Central Córdoba, lined up in a 4-1-4-1, stayed more contained, with less of the ball (39%) and fewer tools to sustain long attacks.

That contrast also showed in the shot count gap. This was not a balanced match in terms of volume: Newell's more than doubled the rival's total attempts, and it was also more accurate. With 7 shots on target to 2, they built a lead that matched what they created. The 2-1 finish ended up being narrow in relation to what the home side produced, because the match development gave them more room to extend the margin.

Central Córdoba did, nevertheless, find a goal and keep the match open until the end. But their attacking output was very limited: only 6 shots and a number of chances that fell well below Newell's. In that context, the overall reading is clear: the result was tight, but the balance of play was not.

The standouts

The top ratings also reflect a match controlled by Newell's.

• Santiago Solari: 8.2 and also scored Newell's second goal in the 69'.
• J. Gomez Mattar: 8.2, scorer of the opening goal in the 31'.
• L. Carrizo: 7.9, another of the home side's best-rated names.

The presence of two players on 8.2 clearly shows where the biggest weight of the match was. Solari and Gomez Mattar were not only decisive in the result, they were also backed by their ratings. Carrizo completes the standout trio in a Newell's side that had more volume, more penetration and more individual influence among the top performances.

The turning point came in the 31', with J. Gomez Mattar's goal, which opened the scoring and began turning Newell's superiority in play into a lead. Then Santiago Solari's strike in the 69' stretched the advantage and gave the home side a calm that seemed deserved given what it had been producing. L. Sequeira's goal in the 80' added suspense late on, but it was not enough to change the overall direction of the game.

In disciplinary terms, there was also a difference: Newell's received 3 yellow cards and Central Córdoba 5. That does not by itself define the match, but it adds another sign of a visiting side that had to break things up more and lived with greater defensive tension.

In the end, Newell's won with more possession, more shots and better attacking production. Central Córdoba found a goal to keep the intrigue alive, but the match numbers showed that the home side did more to take the three points.