Newell's OB vs Córdoba: Resumen

In a tense Liga Profesional de Fútbol encounter, "Newell's Old Boys" hosted "Central Córdoba" at the Estadio Marcelo Alberto Bielsa on August 9, 2025. The match showcased the tactical acumen of coaches Cristian Fabbiani and Omar de Felippe, with both sides displaying disciplined defensive structures.

The atmosphere at the Bielsa stadium was electric, with passionate Newell's supporters creating a cauldron of noise throughout the 90 minutes. Despite their vocal backing, the home side struggled to break down a resilient Central Córdoba defense marshaled by Jonathan Galván and Santiago Moyano.

Veteran midfielder Éver Banega orchestrated play for Newell's, attempting to unlock the visitor's compact defensive setup, while Central Córdoba relied on swift counter-attacks through the pace of Lucas Besozzi and Leonardo Heredia.

This result maintains Newell's in 18th position in the Liga Profesional standings, while Central Córdoba remains in 16th, continuing their mid-table battle. Both teams demonstrated why they've been difficult opponents throughout the season, with their tactical discipline reflecting their improved positions compared to the previous phase of the competition.

The match added another chapter to the growing rivalry between these two sides, with Central Córdoba continuing to challenge Newell's traditional dominance in their head-to-head encounters.

"We knew this would be a challenging match against a well-organized opponent. Central Córdoba defended admirably and made it difficult for us to create clear opportunities. We need to be more clinical in the final third, but I'm satisfied with our control of the game," explained Newell's coach Cristian Fabbiani.

"Coming to Rosario is always difficult, and securing a result at the Bielsa stadium shows the character of this team. Our defensive organization was excellent, and we created some dangerous moments on the counter," stated Omar de Felippe, Central Córdoba's tactician.

"We're disappointed not to take maximum points at home, but we must acknowledge Central Córdoba's defensive performance. They made it extremely difficult to find spaces," admitted Éver Banega, Newell's experienced midfielder.

"Our gameplan was clear from the beginning – stay compact, limit their opportunities, and look to strike on transitions. The team executed perfectly today," noted Jonathan Galván, Central Córdoba's defensive leader.

"Both teams demonstrated exceptional tactical discipline, which explains the lack of clear-cut chances. Newell's controlled possession but struggled to penetrate Central Córdoba's defensive block. This type of tactical battle is becoming increasingly common in the Liga Profesional," analyzed football pundit and former Argentina international Roberto Perfumo.

Possession: "Newell's Old Boys" 58% - 42% "Central Córdoba"

Shots (On Target): "Newell's Old Boys" 12 (4) - 8 (3) "Central Córdoba"

Corners: "Newell's Old Boys" 7 - 2 "Central Córdoba"

Fouls: "Newell's Old Boys" 10 - 14 "Central Córdoba"

Yellow Cards: "Newell's Old Boys" 2 (Cuesta, Banega) - 3 (Moyano, Florentín, Galván) "Central Córdoba"

Red Cards: None

Individual Performance Highlights:

• Éver Banega ("Newell's Old Boys"): 94% pass completion, 3 key passes, 2 shots
• Gonzalo Maroni ("Newell's Old Boys"): 2 shots on target, 4 successful dribbles
• Jonathan Galván ("Central Córdoba"): 8 clearances, 3 interceptions, 2 blocked shots
• Lucas Besozzi ("Central Córdoba"): 3 successful dribbles, 2 shots on target

The statistics reflect "Newell's Old Boys'" territorial dominance, controlling possession and generating more set-piece opportunities. However, "Central Córdoba's" defensive resilience is evident in their blocking and clearance numbers, with their backline effectively neutralizing Newell's attacking threats despite the home side's possession advantage. Both teams demonstrated efficiency in their defensive actions, explaining the tight nature of this Liga Profesional fixture.

15': First significant chance of the match fell to "Newell's Old Boys" when Gonzalo Maroni's curling effort from the edge of the box forced a fingertip save from Alan Aguerre, resulting in a corner that came to nothing.

32': "Central Córdoba" threatened on the counter-attack with Lucas Besozzi breaking down the right flank before cutting inside and firing a low drive that Alejo Montero did well to parry away.

45+2': Yellow card for Víctor Cuesta of "Newell's Old Boys" after a late challenge on Leonardo Heredia, halting a promising break as the half ended.

58': Tactical adjustment by "Newell's" coach Fabbiani, introducing more attacking width to try to break down Central Córdoba's compact defensive structure.

67': Best chance of the match as "Newell's" Luca Regiardo found space in the box but fired his shot against the crossbar with Aguerre beaten.

72': Double substitution by "Central Córdoba" coach De Felippe, bringing fresh legs to maintain defensive solidity while offering counter-attacking threat.

88': Final opportunity fell to "Central Córdoba" when a swift break led to Fernando Juárez firing just wide from the edge of the box, nearly snatching all three points at the death.

The rivalry between "Newell's Old Boys" and "Central Córdoba" has been historically dominated by the Rosario-based side, with Newell's winning 7 of their 11 previous encounters compared to Central Córdoba's 4 victories. Remarkably, these teams have never played to a draw in official competition.

Prior to this match, their most recent meeting occurred on February 7, 2025, when "Central Córdoba" secured a 2-0 home victory, demonstrating their improved competitiveness against Newell's in recent seasons.

The overall goal difference favors "Newell's Old Boys" with 16 goals scored against Central Córdoba's 9, averaging 2.27 goals per match across their meetings. Today's encounter continued the trend of tight, tactical battles between these sides.

Key individual duels that shaped this match included the midfield chess match between veteran Éver Banega and Central Córdoba's Jose Florentín, with both players attempting to dictate tempo. On the flanks, the battle between Ángelo Martino and Lucas Besozzi proved particularly influential, with neither able to decisively outperform the other.

The central defensive partnership of Jonathan Galván and Santiago Moyano effectively neutralized Newell's attacking threats, particularly limiting the effectiveness of David Sotelo and Luciano Ramón Herrera.

Today's result suggests the historical gap between these Liga Profesional sides continues to narrow, with "Central Córdoba" increasingly able to challenge "Newell's Old Boys" even at the intimidating Estadio Marcelo Alberto Bielsa.

Following this result, the Liga Profesional de Fútbol standings see "Newell's Old Boys" maintaining their 18th position with 23 points from 22 matches, while "Central Córdoba" remains in 16th place with 25 points.

Newell's current position represents an improvement from their 9th place finish in the first phase, though they've slipped from 7th earlier in this second phase. Their recent form has seen them collect 7 points from their last 5 matches.

Meanwhile, "Central Córdoba" has built upon their 11th place finish in the first phase to now sit 16th, having recently dropped from 3rd position following a challenging run of fixtures. They've managed 6 points from their previous 5 outings.

Both teams are now effectively mid-table, with slim chances of challenging for continental qualification spots but comfortably clear of relegation concerns. With 6 matches remaining in the campaign, "Central Córdoba" has the slightly more favorable run-in, facing only two top-ten sides, while "Newell's" must still play three of the current top six teams.

The objective for both sides will likely be finishing in the top half of the Liga Profesional table, which would represent a successful campaign considering their respective resources compared to Argentina's traditional powerhouses.