A good draw against the champions

In one of the scheduled friendlies, Belgrano faced Apertura champions Lanus earlier today. The teams never got going and the match ended in a goalless draw. Both Lanus and Belgrano played most of their main players. Although there were plenty of imprecisions and missed passes, each team managed to create a few scoring chances. Matias Suarez and Ezequiel Arriola were both denied by the Lanus keeper, while Sand and Acosta were very close to opening the score for the Apertura winners. Belgrano played their main squad including Matias Suarez, who originally wasn't going to take part due to a muscle strain.

Matias Suarez challenging for the ball
in yesterday's match against Lanus

It was a friendly for sure but it is certainly encouraging for us to snatch a draw against one of the best teams in Argentina. Meanwhile, Belgrano continue with their pre-season activity and will also face Huracan and Alvarado as part of their preparation. In other news, Belgrano are still looking into the possibility of signing a defensive midfielder to add some much-needed depth to the team.

Belgrano outclass GPJ in friendly

With 10 days to go, Belgrano are shaping up nicely for the the start of the Clausura 2007 . A friendly had been arranged for this morning against General Paz Juniors, a local club playing in the third division. Belgrano took to the match with Montoya; Serrizuela, Peppino, Caceres and Tarchini; Donnet, Bolatti, Mansanelli and Maldonado; Delgado and Rios. The match consisted of two 30-minutes halves and Belgrano won 3-0. Newly-promoted Maldonado (2) and Rios were the goalscorers. Nearly 500 hundred spectators gathered to see the match. The next and last friendly in the pre-season will be played next Sunday against the reserves of Instituto Atletico Central Cordoba.

Pre-season matches - Reports

Belgrano played the first two matches programmed for the pre-season in the Copa Ciudad de Cordoba. Altough these are only pre-season matches, there were some interesting things to look forward to. The first match saw Belgrano go down to Velez Sarfield by 3-0. Velez dictated play and were more efficient in front of the goal but the scoreline was not a reflection of the match. Both teams created many scoring chances and the match was entertaining. Balvorin and Mauro Zarate (2) were the goalscorers. The second match pinned Belgrano against the last champion, Estudiantes de La Plata. There were two debuts for Belgrano, Chelo Delgado and Maldonado, and it was the first match coached by Primo. The match ended 1-1 and it was the most fitting result. Belgrano played a good match until the last 20 minutes where there were evident signs of tiredness. Estudiantes played a solid match and had several good chances in the second half cleared by our goallie Montoya. Soriano scored for Belgrano and Pavone gave Estudiantes the leveller from the spot kick. Belgrano had a good test against two quality opponents and there are promising signs of a very competitive Belgrano team in the making. Check out the clips below with the best moments of each match.

Belgrano vs Estudiantes

Belgrano vs Velez Sarfield