GODOY CRUZ (Interstat) — Godoy Cruz answered an early deficit with five consecutive goals and defeated Estudiantes Caseros 6-3 on Sunday at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas. The home side turned a 1-0 deficit into a 5-1 lead by the 58th minute and held off a modest Estudiantes Caseros response before adding a late sixth goal.

The match was physical from the start. Godoy Cruz’s Gil Romero was booked in the eighth minute, and Brunet and Estudiantes Caseros’ Rostagno were both cautioned in the 25th. Estudiantes Caseros’ Quinteros was booked in the 44th, just before the home side’s late first-half surge. The first half alone produced four goals and four yellow cards, with Godoy Cruz’s pressure growing after Vera’s opener. Estudiantes Caseros struck first in the 12th minute when Ian Vera scored. Vera remained central to the visitors’ attack and finished with two goals and one assist, but his effort came amid a broader collapse after Godoy Cruz found its rhythm. Vicente Poggi equalized in the 33rd minute, and Martin Pino put Godoy Cruz ahead in the 43rd. Diego Viera added another goal in the 45th minute, sending the home side into halftime with a 3-1 advantage.

Godoy Cruz kept pressing after the break. Axel Rodriguez scored in the 52nd minute, and Pino added his second goal in the 58th to make it 5-1. Rodriguez was the home side’s top performer, finishing with one goal and two assists before he was substituted in the 75th minute. Rodriguez had been limited to 27 minutes in Godoy Cruz’s previous match. Pino scored twice and assisted once, while Poggi and Viera each added a goal. Rodrigo Fernandez contributed an assist and received a yellow card in the 54th minute. Godoy Cruz made several changes to manage the second half, including removing Rodriguez after his decisive contribution.

Estudiantes Caseros briefly cut into the lead when Santiago Camacho scored in the 69th minute. Vera had already helped create the visitors’ first goal and later set up another, but Godoy Cruz restored its four-goal cushion with a goal in the 88th minute. The visitors’ discipline suffered as the match wore on, and they were shown a yellow card in the 89th minute. Godoy Cruz also had earlier cautions to Gil Romero and Brunet, while Estudiantes Caseros saw Rostagno and Quinteros booked. Vera was substituted in the 71st minute after his two-goal performance. Both sides used their benches heavily in the second half, making multiple changes.

The result moved Godoy Cruz to 2-0-2 in the competition and 2-0-2 across all competitions. Estudiantes Caseros fell to 1-1 in the competition and 1-1 across all competitions. Godoy Cruz remained unbeaten in the competition and continued a strong start to its campaign, while Estudiantes Caseros were left to regroup after a high-scoring loss. The result extended Godoy Cruz’s unbeaten start. The match featured nine total goals and a flurry of scoring from the 33rd minute through the 58th, when Godoy Cruz scored five times in 25 minutes to take command. Godoy Cruz entered the match after a scoreless draw at All Boys and had also beaten Los Andes and drawn with Racing Cordoba this season. Estudiantes Caseros had won its previous competition match against Deportivo Moron.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Godoy Cruz 1, Estudiantes Caseros 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Godoy Cruz with a 70.2 percent probability to win. Godoy Cruz had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.75. The total score of 9 went under the over/under line of 2.