Newells Old Boys
Newells Old Boys and Lanus Battle to Goalless Clausura Draw
The Estadio Marcelo Bielsa bore witness to a tense, tactical stalemate as Newells Old Boys and Lanus played out a 0-0 draw in Matchweek 11 of Argentina’s Liga Profesional Clausura. Under the Rosario floodlights, both sides fought like caged animals but found no way through defences that refused to buckle.
Lanus’ Early Aggression Meets Newells’ Steel
From the first whistle, Lanus signalled their intent with Lucas Besozzi earning a 23rd-minute yellow for a mistimed lunge. The visitors dominated 53% possession but ran into Newells’ defensive wall – Lautaro Gianetti marshalling the backline superbly after an early injury reshuffle. Clear chances were rarer than a quiet moment in the Bombonera.
Second Half Chess Match
Newells coach Kudelka rolled the dice first with a double substitution on the hour. Yet Lanus responded in kind, throwing on the attacking cavalry including Marcelino Moreno. The game opened like a flower in the Argentine sun – yellow cards blossomed for Lanus’ Ronaldo López (73′) and Yoshan Valois (77′) as frustrations mounted.
Goalless But Never Gutless
Three shots on target apiece told the story of two teams cancelling each other out. Lanus edged the expected goals (xG 1.2 v 0.9) but found Newells keeper Jorge Reina in inspired form. At the other end, Nicolás Losada proved equally unbeatable – their combined six saves ensuring honours remained even.
What This Means For Newells and Lanus
For Lanus, dropping points against mid-table Newells dents their Clausura ambitions. Yet Pellegrino’s men showed enough to suggest they’ll remain in the continental qualification hunt. Newells meanwhile extend their unbeaten run to four – that defensive resilience could yet propel them up the table. Both sides now regroup before facing sterner tests in Matchweek 12, knowing clean sheets won’t always be enough.
