Complicated and stunned: Godoy Cruz fell to Lanús and is still struggling.

Godoy Cruz failed to gain ground on their visit to Buenos Aires, losing 2-0 to Lanús thanks to goals from José Canale and Rodrigo Castillo. The match was played at the Néstor Díaz Pérez Stadium in the Professional League , with Pablo Giménez officiating.

Pressed by the situation in the annual standings, coach Walter Ribonetto opted for an attacking scheme . He therefore deployed Misael Sosa and Facundo Altamira as wide forwards, in an attempt to feed Agustín Auzmendi. To that end, he designed a shorter midfield, with Indio Fernández, Vicente Poggi, and Maximiliano González.

This created two problems. On the one hand, Tomba was at times outnumbered in the midfield, which made them suffer . Furthermore, the three forwards spent the first half isolated. Thus, there were no clear chances for Expreso from midfield forward, except for a weak, wide shot by Maximiliano González from the edge of the box.

El Granate, for their part, were the complete opposite. They took advantage of the spaces their opponents left and attacked them in those unprotected areas. Canelo was one of the most mobile players, creating two clear opportunities. First, after a pass from Aquino and a shot wide, and then when he won against Morán and delivered a cross that Castillo couldn't deflect, and then Carrera finished off the attack with a shot that was off target.

These actions were a warning of what was to come around the half-hour mark. Second-choice center back José Canale came out with the ball under control, saw a gap in the Tombina defense, and burst into the opponent's box after a one-two with Aquino. As he was about to cross, Petroli missed the near post, and the defender effortlessly slotted it home.

El Expreso redoubled its efforts for the second half. They understood they had no choice but to change the pace and began peppering the home side with crosses . Agustín Auzmendi had two, and substitute Luca Martínez Dupuy pressed again. Vicente Poggi also made an effort in the air, capturing a rebound in the box and firing a shot.

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In this way, Tomba took control of the match and gradually began to deserve a draw. At 20', they gave another warning with a free kick from Ábrego that Losada saved with ease. Facing the risk of losing momentum and failing to equalize, the coach sent Pascual, Martínez, and Valverde onto the field with the half-hour mark.

However, Lanús came close to sealing the match with a great cross from Castillo, followed by Salvio's header that hit the crossbar. To make matters worse, a minute later Pellegrino sent Marcelino Moreno onto the pitch. In the 41st minute, the Mendoza native's substitution almost had an impact, providing a superb pass to Castillo, who lost the one-on-one with Petroli. At the end of the match, the two combined again to make it 2-0.

Ultimately, Bodeguero's desperate fight to achieve equality fell short. They lost a key match in their fight for survival, and now they must hope that San Martín de San Juan doesn't get a win against Independiente de Avellaneda next Sunday. Otherwise, they will face Santo in a relegation battle the following day.