Cipolletti defeated Juventud Antoniana 1-0 at the Fray Honorato Pistoia and secured an extremely valuable advantage in the first leg of the Federal A Reválida quarter-finals. Yago Piro headed the winner in the 41st minute of the second half when a draw appeared established. The victory allows the Albinegro to decide the series at La Visera de Cemento with both the score and the sporting advantage in their favour.
The match was abrasive from the beginning. Home coach Sergio Maza was sent off after four minutes during protests, and Juventud were reduced to ten in the 20th minute when Ignacio Sanabria received a second yellow card. The numerical disadvantage changed the local plan without making the team passive. Alvarenga created approaches and the hosts maintained intensity against a Cipolletti side that took time to turn superiority into danger.
Fabián Enríquez changed the visitors’ structure and built a three-man defence with Piro, Cristian González and Víctor Manchafico. Nicolás Trejo and Nehuén García operated as wing-backs, while Sergio Ranquehue and Fernando Pettinerolli entered midfield. The system brought security and width, although the attack lacked depth for long periods. Cipolletti controlled more possession but still struggled to deliver the final pass.
After the interval, Brandon Obregón and Leandro Vella supplied a different rhythm. Cipolletti created a clear chance when Federico Acevedo found Nicolás Peralta near the penalty spot, but Facundo Abraham blocked the attempt. Trejo also went close with a header. Juventud responded with commitment, yet every minute with ten players reduced their physical and tactical margin against opponents able to move the ball across the width.
The decisive action arrived in the 86th minute. Vella crossed and Piro attacked the central space to head in the 1-0. The protests that followed led to Abraham’s dismissal; with all substitutions used, Matías Vicedo had to take the goalkeeper’s shirt. The ending, with only nine home players, condensed an afternoon of tension and fierce complaints about referee Lucas Cavallero.
The return-leg calculation is demanding for Juventud Antoniana. Cipolletti lead by one goal and will also qualify if the aggregate score finishes level because of their higher previous position. The Salta side therefore need to win by two goals next Sunday in Río Negro. Enríquez’s team can advance with a draw or even a one-goal defeat, although treating that comfort as an invitation to defend exclusively would carry serious risk.
Piro has given Cipolletti half a ticket, not a completed series. The Albinegro showed order in a hostile match and exploited the opponents’ exhaustion at the right moment, but required too long to convert their numerical advantage. The return will demand emotional control, attention to set pieces and the ability to attack spaces left by a Juventud side forced forward. The advantage is strong; qualification must still be earned at La Visera.
