A stunning individual goal from Maximiliano Lovera secured Rosario Central a 1-0 win over Platense on Saturday and the Copa de la Liga 2023 title with it.
In a humid final played at the Madre de Ciudades stadium in northern Santiago del Estero, Lovera scored the winning goal for the Canalla after 39 minutes.
Picking up the ball outside the box, the ex-Olympiakos winger dribbled past four rival defenders before slipping a left-footed finish into the corner – a stunning individual effort.
The 1-0 win secures Rosario their 11th domestic title and their first since winning the 2018 Copa Argentina.
Platense, who were seeking their first top flight title in their 118-year history, were reduced to 10 men after Gaston Suso was sent off after 88 minutes and failed to mount a comeback in the closing stages.
"It's a great joy. It was a very tough game. We came with just enough until the end, we've worked hard to put this together, but the credit goes to the players," said coach Miguel Ángel Russo, who at 67 years of age and after more than three decades as a trainer celebrated his first title at Central.
Casting an unsavoury note on proceedings, police clashed with Central fans prior to the match outside the stadium. Fans were annoyed by long delays at the stadium gates and were forced to wait in the scorching sun for lengthy periods before entering the venue.
Argentina and Benfica forward Ángel Di María, a former Rosario Central star who was following the game on television, slammed the police’s treatment of fans in a post on social network.
“It is a disgrace that they treat people like this. There are women, children, old people and they treat them like dogs,” he wrote.
Teams
Rosario Central: Jorge Broun - Damián Martínez (Juan Cruz Komar, 53), Facundo Mallo, Carlos Quintana and Agustín Sandez (Alan Rodríguez, 81) - Kevin Ortiz and Tomás O'Connor (Agustín Toledo, 81) - Maximiliano Lovera (Lautaro Giaccone, 74), Ignacio Malcorra and Jaminton Campaz - Luca Martínez Dupuy (Octavio Bianchi, 81). Coach: Miguel Russo.
Platense: Ramiro Macagno - Nicolás Morgantini, Ignacio Vázquez, Gastón Suso and Raúl Lozano - Facundo Russo (Maximiliano Zalazar, 67), Franco Díaz, Nicolás Castro (Luciano Ferreyra, 74) and Lucas Ocampo - Ronaldo Martínez (Leonel Picco, 66) and Mateo Pellegrino (Nicolás Servetto, 50). Coach: Martin Palermo.
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