Platense return to Argentina’s top fight after 22-year absence

Platense, one of the nation’s most traditional teams, are returning to Argentina’s top flight after a 22-year absence.

The Calamar, as the club is known, defeated Estudiantes de Río Cuarto on penalties in the final of an abridged second-tier tournament, essentially a promotion play-off.

Platense drew 1-1 over 90 minutes with the team from Córdoba, before seeing off their rivals 4-2 in a dramatic penalty shoot-out. The tie was plated at Newell's Old Boys stadium in Rosario.

In a winner takes all duel, Matías Tissera put Platense ahead after just five minutes, but Ibrahim Hesar levelled for Estudiantes de Río Cuarto in the 38th minute. 

It was a tough break for the Córdoba side, who just two weeks had also lost a penalty shoot-out against Sarmiento de Junín in another promotion-deciding clash. 

Platense, founded in 1905, have not played in the top flight for 22 years after being relegated in 1999. They become the 26th club in a reshaped top flight, which begins in just a week’s time. 

Coached by Juan Manuel Llop, Platense have tried several times to return to the top flight without luck. After several years in the first division, the side fell back to the Primera Nacional B (second tier) in 1999, and then took another step down the pyramid, falling to the Primera B Metropolitana (third tier).

Now, the club’s long suffering fans will be able to look forward to a clashes with the nation’s top sides, back where they belong.

– TIMES/AFP