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Argentina: Highflying Independiente and San Lorenzo held [Sun Sep 18th, 2005]
Independiente have been held to a 1-1 draw away against Quilmes in the 7th round of the Apertura Championship.
The team came into the match with morale high after crushing bitter rivals Racing Club 4-0 in last weekend's Avellaneda derby.
On the other hand, Quilmes were coming off a two-goal loss against Estudiantes in La Plata.
As was expected Independiente started strongly and came close to opening the scoring with two good efforts from talented midfielder Sergio Aguero, who scored an absolute cracker in last weekend's derby victory.
In the 31st minute Independiente took a deserved lead, and once again it was thanks to prolific striker Nicolas Frutos, who struck his 8th of the season.
Frutos latched onto a good ball from Lucas Biglia, and when it seemed that his opportunity might be wasted, he kept his calm and expertly chipped the ball into the back of the net.
Independiente looked to double their lead in the second half, but from the run of play, Quilmes found their equaliser. In the 58th minute Uruguayan midfielder Gonzalo Choy crossed the ball to compatriot Ignacio Risso, who headed home after Independiente goalkeeper Bernardo Leyenda came out weakly.
Both teams didn’t create any clear chances to win the match, and Independiente finished the match the unhappier side after losing their chance to top the table.
On Saturday, Estudiantes La Plata edged out bottom placed Tiro Federal 1-0 away from home thanks to an Agustin Alayes strike in the 67th minute. The win means Estudiantes move up to tenth, while pointless Tiro Federal extended their losing streak in the Apertura to seven in a row.
League leaders San Lorenzo fought from behind to draw 1-1 at home to lowly Lanus. Agustin Pelletiera put Lanus ahead in the 36th minute, but with just ten minutes left in the second half Ezequiel Lavezzi equalised after a goalkeeping blunder. San Lorenzo remain on top, although the round will be completed on Sunday with seven more matches.
Tomorrow’s most attracting match sees ninth-placed River Plate entertain Clausura Champions Velez Sarsfield, while fourth-placed Boca Juniors face a difficult mission away at Gimnasia La Plata.
Apertura Results: Round 7
Friday
Quilmes 1-1 Independiente
Saturday
Tiro Federal 0-1 Estudiantes La Plata
San Lorenzo 1-1 Lanus
Gregory Sica
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