Despite the fact that Boca Juniors were crowned champions last week, there was still plenty to play for in Week 18 of the Apertura with places in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana up for grabs, as well as the chance to register more crucial points in the battle against relegation. Lanús made sure of their berth in the Libertadores with a win at Unión, but Godoy Cruz have still not made the last qualification spot safe after their winless run extended to four games.
All Boys opened the midweek action with a 1-0 win against Argentinos Juniors; the only goal of the game came in the 13th minute when a long ball from Nicolás Cambiasso was worked on for Martin Zapata to run on to and finish powerfully. Olimpo and Estudiantes shared the points in a goalless draw, while Lanús came away with a 1-0 win against Unión. After good work by Mario Regueiro, Matías Fritzler unleashed a superb shot from 25 yards which flashed past the keeper into the corner in the 17th minute, and that was good enough for el Granate to take all the points.
Racing Club also won by a single goal when they hosted Atlético Rafaela. Four minutes after the break, Germán Cáceres conceded a penalty when he handled the ball in the area, and Teo Gutiérrez slammed the resulting penalty into the bottom corner. There were more goals to be found when Arsenal met Boca Juniors; the game finished 2-2 as Boca conceded half as many goals in a single game as they had all season. Walter Erviti opened the scoring after 40 minutes when he latched onto Leandro Somoza's pass, but replays suggested the midfielder may just have been offside. Guillermo Burdisso put Arsenal level moments after half time with a looping header, and Arsenal then took the lead eight minutes later when Mauro Obolo's volley somehow squeezed through Rolando Schiavi and Agustín Orión. With 20 minutes to go, Cristian Chávez made it 2-2, spinning on the edge of the box and firing a snap shot into the bottom corner to salvage a point.
Godoy Cruz have now lost three of their last four games after Colón came away with a 1-0 victory thanks to Federico Higuaín's powerful strike from 20 yards. Newell's Old Boys and San Martín drew 0-0, while Banfield's awful campaign continued as they were beaten 2-0 at home by Belgrano, who are now sitting pretty in fifth place in the Apertura with a healthy points average for the promedio. César Pereyra struck twice in the opening 25 minutes for the visitors, opening the scoring with a spectacular volley from 20 yards before adding another 12 minutes later from close range.
After Boca put their title hopes to bed last weekend, Tigre were beaten by San Lorenzo in Monday's rearranged match and by Vélez Sársfield in last night's match. David Ramírez put Vélez in front after half an hour following good hold-up play by Guillermo Franco, and three minutes later Augusto Fernández made it 2-0 from inside the box. Diego Morales pulled one back for Tigre just before the break, slaloming between three players before curling a delightful effort into the top corner, but Franco made it 3-1 midway through the second half from an acute angle. San Lorenzo also suffered a home defeat, losing 1-0 to Independiente. Martín Benítez headed el Rojo in front after 67 minutes, and the home side were unable to haul back the single goal deficit.
Week 18 results (click on result for highlights)
All Boys 1-0 Argentinos Juniors
Newell's Old Boys 0-0 San Martín
Olimpo 0-0 Estudiantes
