Just last week, Ignacio Piatti claimed that something special was going on at San Lorenzo. He might be right, as The Cyclone, still unbeaten after four games in the new season, made it three wins in-a-row, defeating Argentinos Juniors 2-0.
The goals came either side of half-time (a period in which Impact fans have discovered pain this very season), through Paraguayan, Oscar Romero (45) and Mariano Peralta Bauer, ten minutes after the restart.
Piatti replaced the scorer of the first goal on 77 mins and had a straightforward evening helping his team-mates see out the victory.
San Lorenzo maintain a 3 point lead over Aldosivi, 1-0 winners at Estudiantes in Group E, with two rounds of matches to play.
Meanwhile in Paraguay, another Impact old-boy was in action with Olimpia of Asuncion.
Alejandro Silva played in 87 mins of his team’s 2-2 draw at Sporting Luqueno in which Olimpia, not having things all their own way in the Clasura, came from behind twice.
It’s been a mixed time for Silva since football resumed in Paraguay. His penalty helped Olimpia secure the points on the road at Sol de America two weeks ago, but in a 4-2 success over the same opposition at the end of September, he was red-carded after only 7 minutes.
Things didn’t go well either for El Decano in the Libertadores Cup (South American Club Championship), finishing bottom of Group G and the only Paraguayan club amongst three remaining in the group stage not to progress.
Olimpia will go top of the Clasura table should they win their game in hand, however main rivals Cerro Porteno, a further game less played could overhaul Silva’s team once every club has played the same number.
Over in Europe Matteo Mancosu, just short of his 36th birthday, put Virtus Entella ahead at Ascoli in Serie B, his third goal of the season.
Things looked promising for I Diavoli Neri to get their first league victory of the season at the eighth attempt, Mancosu’s 72nd minute goal from the penalty spot coming after Ascoli were reduced to 9 players.
But despite red cards for Buchel and Corbo, Abdelhamid Sabiri struck for the 9-men in the 84th minute to earn Ascoli a share of the spoils.
After staving off relegation last season Virtus Entella hasn’t won a league match since July. They will hope to break the spell next weekend when they host third-placed SPAL.
Back across the Atlantic in Chile, Jeisson Vargas only managed a few minutes this weekend in his latest club Union de Calera’s 2-1 win at struggling Coquimbo Unido, but Vargas has three goals in 17 appearances this season and his side sit second in the Chilean Premier Division, three point adrift of Universidad Catolica.
And in the final part of our brief, former-player round-up, Johan Venegas again produced the goods for Deportivo Saprissa, converting an 86th minute penalty in the National Stadium to defeat Herediano 3-2 away from home. It was the Costa Rican international’s 7th goal in 9 games.
Venegas’ team had led twice in the game and the win took them to the top of Group B in Costa Rica’s Apertura.