Colombian striker Miguel Borja continued his scoring streak, reaching 25 goals in 2024 and salvaging River from defeat at the Monumental with two goals to secure a 2-2 draw against Lanús in one of Sunday’s matches of the sixth round of the Liga Profesional.
In a match that started quietly in the first half but was filled with excitement in the second, River had to settle for a point against Lanús, who had less possession but proved more clinical and effective in the River’s penalty area.
Indeed, it was Lanús who took the lead twice, with Marcelino Moreno (49′) opening the scoring and Jonathan Torres (90+2′) heading in a goal deep into stoppage time.
However, Borja (62nd and 90+3rd minutes) transformed into a hero by scoring twice with the instincts of a center forward. His first goal came from capitalizing on a defender’s misplaced pass back to the goalkeeper Muñoz, and just a minute after Lanús’ second goal, he scrambled from the ground to push the ball into the net after a series of rebounds, bringing his tally to 5 goals in this league.
Colombian striker Borja did not start the match and needed only about 40 minutes of play to score his two goals. Manager Martín Demichelis opted to keep him on the bench following his return from the Copa América final, stating that “when transitioning between competitions, coaches, methodologies, countries, and even climate changes, it was better to adjust both physically and mentally.”
Boca, with the return of Chilean player Gary Medel after 14 years, settled for a 2-2 draw against Defensa y Justicia in a tightly contested and fluctuating match in southern Buenos Aires. This came ahead of their rematch against Ecuadorian Independiente del Valle in the Copa Sudamericana playoff qualifiers.
Santiago Ramos Mingo (13th minute) and Aaron Molinas (34th minute) scored for Defensa y Justicia, but Boca equalized through Uruguayan Miguel Merentiel (19th minute, penalty) and Kevin Gutiérrez (51st minute own goal). However, this result wasn’t enough for Boca to move closer to the top spots.
In other matches, Estudiantes and Unión played out a goalless draw in La Plata, where the home team revealed their attacking limitations. Meanwhile, Unión came close to securing three points with a couple of counterattacks, allowing them to climb to the top of the league alongside Huracán.
Talleres, previously undefeated, suffered a tough 3-0 defeat to Vélez, with goals from Braian Romero (36th minute), Claudio Aquino (52nd minute), and Thiago Fernández (63rd minute) for Vélez, who are beginning to find their form after a sluggish start.
Additionally, Platense deepened Central Córdoba’s woes at the bottom of the table with a 2-0 victory in Santiago del Estero. Paraguayan Ronaldo Martínez (48th minute) and Sasha Marcich (58th minute) scored for Platense, leaving Lucas González Vélez’s team with six defeats in six matches. This puts Central Córdoba in a precarious position in their first season in Argentine football, sitting at the bottom of the league and second from last in the annual table, which determines relegation to the second division.