Estudiantes de la Plata lifted their first league title in 15 years by winning the Clausura tournament on Saturday in a closely matched final at the Estadio Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero.
The Pincha saw off opponents Racing Club 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, after having levelled the match with a dramatic injury time equaliser when they looked to be the verge of defeat.
The victory was all the sweeter for the Pincha, whose club president, legendary former midfielder Juan Sebastián ‘La Brujita’ Verón, is regarded as the leading opponent of Argentine Football Association (AFA) president Claudio ‘Chiqui’ Tapia’s reign of power.
Estudiantes Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera shone in the penalty shoot-out, saving efforts from Gastón Martirena and Franco Pardo – summing up their ability to come from behind, the winners even overturned a setback in the spot-kicks.
Adrián ‘Maravilla’ Martínez, Racing’s leading scorer, had opened the scoring in the 81st minute with a superb chipped finish after twisting and turning past Muslera, a veteran of Uruguay’s national team.
But when the title looked set for Avellaneda, Estudiantes striker Guido Carrillo headed in a 92nd-minute equaliser from a corner kick to send the final into extra time.
“That’s the history of this club. When everything seems over, when people think we’re finished, Estudiantes rise again,” said Carrillo, who had been suspended for four matches ahead of the Saturday night’s clash and returned to the line-up for the final.
Against the odds
The victory secures Estudiantes their seventh league title. It’s their first since 2010 and the 18th trophy in their cabinet, including international honours.
It was also the fourth title under head coach Eduardo Domínguez, with whom they had previously lifted the 2023 Copa Argentina, the 2024 Copa de la Liga and the 2024 Trofeo de Campeones 2024.
The title also the Pincharrata will play in South America’s premier club competition next year, the Copa Libertadores.
As runners up, Gustavo Costas’s Racing will contest the Copa Sudamericana.
The coronation – on neutral ground in Santiago del Estero – would have seemed unimaginable to many just over two months ago, when Estudiantes exited the Libertadores at the quarter-final stage after a narrow penalty shoot-out defeat to eventual champions Flamengo.
Having bet everything on international success, El Pincha began the Clausura with uneven form. Even when they exited continental competition and focused solely on the domestic, Estudiantes failed to convince.
Qualification for the play-offs still appeared assured, but performances dropped off sharply, to the point that they won just one of their final seven matches in the season’s regular phase.
A combination of lucky results nevertheless allowed them to clinch the eighth and final play-off berth.
“There was a turning point with the [team] captains in a meeting we had. These are things people don’t see, and it helped change our mindset and play the following matches with a different attitude,” Muslera revealed after the final.
Verón like any other supporter
Everything changed in the knockout rounds. Despite being drawn away from home in each round, Estudiantes eliminated Ángel Di María’s Rosario Central, the team that had racked up the most points over the season and were granted a controversial ‘new’ title by AFA.
Estudiantes then beat Central Córdoba and, in the semi-finals, overcame their arch-rivals Gimnasia y Esgrima de la Plata in a derby clásico.
Amid the comeback, the Pincha emerged as the only club openly opposed to Tapia’s leadership of the powerful AFA.
The controversy erupted when Rosario Central were named annual champions – a claim without any basis in the regulations – and Estudiantes were forced to form a guard of honour for them in their match
The Pincha squad only partially complied, with the side’s players turning their backs on their opponents.
The clash with the AFA leadership resulted in a six-month suspension from all football-related activity for Juan Sebastián Verón.
However, the former Albiceleste and Manchester United player defied the sanction by attending Saturday’s final in the stands at the Madre de Ciudades, like any other supporter, alongside hundreds of fans who showed their backing.
With its rebellious spirit, Estudiantes has sealed another title, claiming a triumph tinged with vindication. Their players received the medals and the champions’ trophy from the hands of Tapia, the AFA president, himself.
“We players share the club’s ideas, but our battle is on the pitch, 11 against 11,” Muslera stressed.
Recent champions
The last 10 champions of Argentina’s top-flight, following the Clausura 2025 title won on Saturday by Estudiantes de La Plata:
|
Tournament |
Champion |
Runner-up |
|
Championship 2016/2017 |
Boca Juniors |
River Plate |
|
Superliga 2017/2018 |
Boca Juniors |
Godoy Cruz |
|
Superliga 2018/2019 |
Racing Club |
Defensa y Justicia |
|
Superliga 2019/2020 |
Boca Juniors |
River Plate |
|
Liga Profesional 2021 |
River Plate |
Defensa y Justicia |
|
Liga Profesional 2022 |
Boca Juniors |
Racing Club |
|
Liga Profesional 2023 |
River Plate |
Talleres |
|
Liga Profesional 2024 |
Vélez Sarsfield |
Talleres |
|
Apertura 2025 |
Platense |
Huracán |
|
Clausura 2025 |
Estudiantes de la Plata |
Racing Club |
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