Gimnasia y Esgrima Mendoza 2–2 Boca Juniors | Liga Profesional de Fútbol | 06.09.2026

Result Summary

A dramatic late equaliser denied Boca Juniors all three points in Mendoza on Sunday night. Esteban Fernández rescued a share of the spoils for the hosts in the 93rd minute, cancelling out what had looked like a winning lead for the visitors and sending Darío Franco Gatti's side home with a hard-earned draw. The 2–2 scoreline reflected a contest that was far more competitive than our pre-match forecast had anticipated.

Match Analysis

Boca Juniors made the brighter start and were rewarded early. Alan Agustín Velasco, supplied by Tomás Belmonte, opened the scoring with a right-footed finish in the 17th minute. Yet Gimnasia responded almost immediately — just two minutes later, I. Sabatini Charparin converted an assist from Fermín Antonini to level proceedings, signalling that the hosts would not be passive opponents.

The tempo remained high through the first half, and Boca reasserted their advantage just before the break. Kevin Andrés Zenon — who had already been cautioned for a foul as early as the 6th minute — struck with his left foot in the 38th minute, assisted by Dylan Gorosito, to make it 2–1. That lead looked like it would hold.

The statistics, however, tell an important story about Gimnasia's territorial dominance across the full 90 minutes. The home side finished with 59% ball possession, completed 81% of their passes successfully compared to Boca's 73%, and generated 114 attacks to the visitors' 70. Their 59 dangerous attacks to Boca's 36 underlines just how heavily they pressed for an equaliser in the second period.

The second half was contentious. A flurry of yellow cards — five for Boca Juniors, including bookings for Jorge Nicolás Figal (57'), Carlos Alonso Enrique Palacios Núñez (65'), and Lautaro Emanuel Blanco (70') — underscored the friction that had built between the sides. Coach Rodolfo Martín Arruabarrena made several changes in an attempt to manage the game, withdrawing Velasco, Marco Pellegrino, Matías Satas, Belmonte, and Zenón across the second half. A VAR review at the 71st minute involving Sabatini Charparin added further tension to proceedings.

Ultimately, Gimnasia's persistence told. Substitute Omar Brian Andrada entered in the 91st minute, and moments later, in added time, Esteban Fernández drove home a right-footed effort to make it 2–2 — sparking jubilant scenes at the final whistle.

Prediction Review

Our forecast pointed to a Boca Juniors away win with 49% probability and a confidence rating of 64/100, making this a result that fell outside our anticipated outcome. The draw (28% pre-match probability) proved to be the true reflection of the balance of play. While Boca's efficiency in the first half looked to validate the away-win projection, the underlying statistical weight — Gimnasia's shot volume (17 total, 7 on target), their sustained attacking momentum, and Boca's ill-discipline — made the hosts a more credible threat than the forecast acknowledged. The prediction was incorrect.

Key Takeaways

• Gimnasia's resilience and volume of play made them dangerous throughout; the statistics back up a result that felt deserved.
• Boca's discipline was a concern — five yellow cards in a single match creates unnecessary pressure on a squad managing a difficult away fixture.
• Late drama once again proves that leads must be defended more efficiently in the closing stages.
• Franco Gatti's side deserve credit for sustaining pressure and being rewarded deep into stoppage time.