Lost like the devil in the fog. Independiente is full of frustration. The arrival of new coach Julio Vaccari hasn’t yet altered their fortunes, as they continue without a win in this early phase. In Avellaneda, they were jeered after a goalless draw where they deserved more but achieved little against Barracas Central. The visitors were content with the draw, which they sought to keep adding points in the yearly table, currently placing them in a qualifying position for the next Copa Sudamericana.
Perhaps it was the thick fog that settled over the Libertadores de América-Ricardo Enrique Bochini stadium, giving it a London-like ambiance, that clouded Independiente’s vision in the early stages and prompted premature murmurs from the impatient stands. Following their tough loss in Córdoba, Independiente started disoriented against a modest Barracas Central side, which, despite noticing the home team’s vulnerability, stuck to their plan to salvage a point.
Without their eligible reinforcements due to ongoing administrative issues, Vaccari made minimal changes. The only alteration he made was bringing in Lucas González for Federico Mancuello to inject more pace into midfield. However, the game largely relied on long balls rather than ground play.
Long clearances from the defense dominated a first half devoid of clear-cut chances.
When these aerial deliveries found Santiago López on the left, sometimes joined by Damián Pérez pushing forward, there were glimpses of promising connections, yet they lacked clarity in the final third. There were no crosses for Gabriel Avalos, who struggled unsuccessfully in physical battles with defenders to impose himself. A header off-target from David Martínez represented the most substantial effort from Independiente’s feeble attack in that initial period, during which the visitors attempted sporadic counterattacks, seemingly distant from Rodrigo Rey’s goal.
Gradually, and against their opponent’s passivity, Independiente gained confidence. Vaccari shuffled his lineup, introducing youngster Santiago Hidalgo for the second half. López moved to the right wing, and Alex Luna dropped deeper into the left midfield role. Hidalgo’s enthusiasm added a new dimension to the attack, although it was Barracas who came close to scoring.
Rey pulled off a miraculous save on the goal line to deny Daniel Juárez’s close-range effort. A moment of magic in the Diablo’s penalty area. On the other end, Sebastián Moyano also shone for Barracas, thwarting Avalos in a one-on-one situation with Federico Mancuello.
