Newell's Old Boys tumble to Rosario Central in brutal derby
Lionel Messi’s boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys had to face the ignominy of a a fourth successive derby defeat as they were beaten 1-0 at home by arch local rivals Rosario Central.
New coach Lucas Bernardi’s unbeaten start came to a sudden end in the Clasico Rosarino at the Coloso Marcelo Bielsa thanks to a second half goal by Central striker Marco Ruben, and his side slip eight points behind their neighbours, who temporarily move up to fourth in the Argentine Primera Division.
With the Argentina manager and Newell’s favourite Gerardo Martino watching in the stadium, the Leprosos failed to produce a performance fitting of the occasion in front of 42,000 home fans, but almost grabbed a late equaliser, with Maxi Rodriguez striking the post in the 89th minute from 40 yards out.
Instead, the hosts were left to regret a combination of poor defending and goalkeeping which lead to Ruben scoring the game’s only goal in the 67th minute.
Although the Superclasico between Boca Juniors and River Plate is undoubtedly the most celebrated fixture in the Argentine football calendar, many Argentinians regard the rivalry between Newell’s and Central, the oldest Clasico in the country, as the most fierce.
In recent years the rivalry has developed a deadly edge. Two Central supporters were killed in the aftermath of their side’s derby win last October on the streets of Rosario, while a year earlier a 13-year-old boy wearing a Newell’s jumper was shot dead after the Clasico.
A so-called friendly match between the two sides in January 2013 had to be abandoned before it had even begun as police realised they did not have the personnel to deal with the threat from both sides following a week littered with violent attacks from the hooligan gangs of either side.
With the Argentine government banning away fans since July 2013, there were no Central fans present in the stadium for this Clasico, but there was still a fervent atmosphere.
The Coloso Marcelo Bielsa was full an hour before kick off and reached boiling point when the teams came out, first Central, who were mercilessly booed, then Newells, who were given a rapturous reception. A huge banner hung from the main stand bearing the words ‘1974 -your worst humiliation’, referring to when Newell’s won the league title at Central’s Arroyito stadium, robbing their rivals of the title they had won the previous year. It was Newell’s first title win and they now boast six to Central’s four, allowing themselves the nickname ‘el mas campeon de Rosario’ - the most successful team in Rosario.
Newell’s have no pretensions that they can keep up with the giants of River and Boca or indeed the other members of the Big Five of Argentine football Racing, San Lorenzo and Independiente, but are intent on being regarded as the biggest club outside the capital, as is evident by a huge banner also in the main stand, laying claim to being ‘the biggest team in the interior’.
The club can also boast of having the better record in producing talent than their neighbours. Although Messi left the club when he was just 13, the club still regard him as their player, and the Barcelona superstar has a supporters club named after him. Diego Maradona also played for Newells, albeit just five matches, while Gabriel Batistuta, Ezequiel Garay, Ever Banega, Bielsa, Martino, Gabriel Heinze and Maxi Rodriguez all had successful spells at the club.
Central’s list of academy graduates is smaller but still contains the likes of Angel di Maria and Mario Kempes, while Ezequiel Lavezzi is a self-confessed Canalla supporter, even though he never played for the club.
Newell’s also pride themselves on always looking to play attractive football, keeping the ball on the floor and maintaining possession, a legacy of Bielsa’s gilded tenure in charge of the club between 1990 and 1992, when they won three league titles and reached the final of the Copa Libertadores, losing on penalties to Sao Paolo.
Martino’s 2013 title-winning team was founded on those same principles, but Central have no such pretensions, their philosophy consisting of hard work, high pressing and plenty of balls into the box. It was a tactic which proved successful here as they penned the hosts into their own half for much of the opening 45 minutes. They could have had a penalty when defender Milton Casco kicked out at Neri Dominguez while disputing the ball, but the incident escaped the attention of referee Nestor Pitana. It was the start of a strong spell for the visitors: Pablo Alvarez volleyed at goal, forcing Newell’s goalkeeper Oscar Ustari to tip over the bar, and from the resulting corner Alejandro Donatti skewed wide.
The visitors eventually did take the lead midway through the second half, aided by two lapses in the Newell’s backline. A chipped ball forward dropped at the feet of Ruben after a mistimed clearance from Newell’s defender Marcos Caceres, and the striker executed a half-volley into the bottom corner, with Ustari showing shockingly poor positional sense.
His opposite number Mauricio Caranta nearly covered himself in greater shame at the other end as he slipped while trying to kick the ball away, instead finding the feet of Rodriguez. The former Atletico Madrid and Liverpool man reacted quickly and sent an inventive lob towards goal, but it bounced off the far post, and Central survived to claim a record fourth-straight win over their rivals.
