10-man Newell’s Old Boys celebrated a dramatic win over 8th-placed Independiente at the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa on Sunday evening. The circumstances of the win are almost hard to believe.
Interim head coach Adrián Taffarel started the game with 3 young debutants but it was a fourth debutant, Román Bravo, who came on in the second half to score the winner in the 93rd minute after La Lepra had gone down to 10 men.
In a game of few chances, Independiente looked more likely to score in the first half but Ramiro Macagno and José Canale both played their parts in nullifying goal opportunities for the visitors.
The second half was a dull affair, with both teams rarely threatening in front of goal. Marco Campagnaro, one of the three debutants to start the game, was sent off for a second bookable offence on 71 minutes and at that point, it looked like Newell’s were destined to lose another game.
That was until Maxi Rodríguez’s injury-time free-kick, with seconds remaining on the clock, somehow found its way onto the boot of substitute Román Bravo who unleashed a fierce volley into the Independiente net amidst chaotic scenes at the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa.
The youngster’s late winner gave Newell’s a golden 3 points that moves us up the table to 20th.
Watch the highlights of the match below.