The first section of Students from Rio Cuarto It is no longer just a memory of the 1980s, in the extinct national championships. Four decades later, jumping to the first category became just an illusion that became a reality after the defeat Deportivo Madryn In the last series of reducer. Behind him 2-0 in Cordoba he Lion of the Empire Draw 1-1 In the rematch and in 2026 it will be The fourth representative of Cordoba in the beginning. Joining the teams from the provincial capital: Belgrano, workshops and institute.
The second final match was held at Abel Sastre Stadium, a few kilometers from the sea coast, and was stopped 48 minutes after the start of the second stage by the referee. Facundo Tello, When there were three minutes remaining of the added six minutes due to a broken fence at one of the heads and projectiles thrown by several local fans. The visiting players immediately headed to the locker room. Without being able to celebrate or take the Olympic lap.
In a definition preceded by suspicions about the refereeing privileges that Madryn received throughout the season, Thilo’s work was flawless. He never lost control of a match played with a strong leg, and made the right decisions, such as sending off local midfielder Federico Ricaldi, who received two yellow cards for strong fouls. With good judgement, he stopped the match when Estudiantes’ rise became irreversible and local fans endangered security. Thilo left no room for doubt or controversy. He demonstrated the standard of refereeing that has been seriously questioned due to manipulation in the AFC.
Estudiantes de Río Cuarto is the club where he started playing Pablo Aimar Before Daniel convinced Passarella Sr. to take him to River’s boarding house. Already retired, he is now a field assistant to Lionel Scaloni in the Argentine national team He returned in 2018 to play a match in the Argentine Cup with Estudiantes. Where his brother Andres also died.
Getting to the final day of the First National requires a long trek. With its huge shape 36 teams, 634 matches were abandoned during 297 days of competition. A long pilgrimage for Estudiantes, who took the bus to get from Rio Cuarto to Madryn. Ivan Delfino’s team has accumulated sufficient advantages: It finished second in Zone B, three points behind leaders Gimnasia (Mendoza), which achieved the other promotion. Then, in the reduced qualifiers, they respectively eliminated Patronato, Gimnasia Tiro (Salta), Estudiantes (Caceros) and Deportivo Madryn.
He entrusted the assembly of the team to an old connoisseur of promotional football. It was The fifth final for Delfino (54 years old), Who was promoted in 2015 to Patronato, but then was left on the doorstep three times with Sarmiento (Gonin). With another coach, Estudiantes also remained with honey on their lips after losing the final to Sarmiento in 2021 and then the reduction tariff to Platense.
Within a team where the group is above the individual, Lucas Gonzalez He was the team’s top scorer with 8 goals in 39 matches. Defensive solidity was one of the pillars. Estudiantes conceded 25 goals in 41 matches, and of the seven matches they lost, only one was by a margin of two (Chaco Forever v Resistencia).
Delfino had already known Estudiantes since he had taken him out for a semester in 2023. Now he was returning after a short and adverse spell in Colón. Minutes after receiving the promotion, he summed up the long year by saying: “There were many difficulties from the beginning. Without reinforcements, with the president imprisoned, Lots of adversity. The team has been strengthened mentally, it’s a great group. Since the beginning of the year, We were never afraid of the word promotion, Many don’t want to name it. We’ve kept it in mind since day one. We worked for it and here we are.”
Delfino’s reference to the imprisoned president was Alessio Dagatti, Who followed three-quarters of the campaign from prison. He was deprived of his freedom from December 2024 to August 2025, Accused of bringing drugs In refrigerated trucks to the Boer prison. Daqati, a businessman who owns refrigerators and media outlets, was released after paying a sum of money $500,000 bond. He remains accused in a drug trafficking and corruption case in the regional prison service. In addition to the introduction of two kilograms of cocaine, psychotropic substances and whiskey, seven mobile phones and their accessories were seized in the refrigerated truck. His son, Ignacio, was arrested for the same reason.
Last week, while the Prosecutor for Complex Crimes, Enrique Javier, requested that Dagatti be put on trial for the alleged illicit association, the businessman’s defense – present on Sunday in Madryn – managed to convince the Criminal Cassation Chamber to declare federal jurisdiction over the file.
The morning rain that fell until midday left a dense field, with some puddles from which water jumped when players hit the ground hard. There were many fights and friction in the first half. Madryn tried to short-circuit the game with a direct play, which was understood as a series of forward shots, very well defended by the central defenders Mavini and Ojeda. Nazareno Solis, a striker who had a short spell at Boca and is now an attacking midfielder, was Chubut’s top tanker, Silba and Rivero.
Estudiantes stood firm and did not allow themselves to be swept away by the onrushing Madryn, forced by the defeat in the first leg and the pressure of his fans. The Cordoba team was ordered to cover the spaces in their stadium, and had more ideas to attack and search for Paraguayan Javier Ferreira, the hero of the first goal situation with a header that required a great save from Boonen.
The local anxiety contrasted with the calmness of Estudiantes, who was more precise and cautious in handling the ball. Ferreira approached the goal again with a shot from outside the area that went near the post. Madrín had a chance through the method he insisted on most: a header from Crejo that was very close to the post after a cross from Nazareno.
The display and physical demands took their toll on striker Lucas Gonzalez, who scored a goal in the first leg. He was injured and was replaced agustin fontana, Former Banfield and River, who poorly set up two goal situations in the second half. Estudiantes ended the first half on a better note, once again going close with an effort that was blocked by Boonen and bounced off Giacobozzi on the goal line.
Leandro Gracián was right entering Galiano and Montana in the second stage. They gave Madryn more attacking resources, and another depth. Estudiantes retreated, certainly leaning towards the counterattack. The development had another force and the final heightened the emotions with Silba’s stunning goal in the scissors, after an assist from Galeano.
Yellow smoke coming from the stands stopped the match for several minutes. The local fans stopped their team’s momentum, which was greatly affected by Ricalde’s expulsion. Morales’ goal came five minutes later, and the local fans’ cheers accelerated the score. The land where Pablo Aimar, Guillermo Pereira, Diego Colotto, Franco Costanzo, Guido Herrera and Hector Bracamonte, all experienced senior footballers, were born. Now it is also graded by Estudiantes.