The phone that cost more than a point
All Boys drew 0–0 with Godoy Cruz at the Islas Malvinas on October 12, and the scoreline is the least important thing about it (5). Nicolás Lamolina gave a penalty for a foul outside the box, Iván Zafarana walked over with a phone showing the replay, and the referee changed his mind (11)(17). The AFA then handed out 11 sanctions to All Boys members, including the coach Fabián Nardozza (3)(14). One point in the fight against relegation, and a pile of suspensions to go with it. That is a bad trade every day of the week.
The football has gone quiet
Four draws in five, one defeat, and 16th of 18 in Group A on 34 points with nine left to play (6). Since the 0–1 home loss to San Telmo on September 12, All Boys have scored three goals in five matches. You cannot survive a relegation fight at a goal a game, and this squad is currently well under it. The 2–1 defeat at Deportivo Morón on October 3 and the 0–0 with Colón on September 26 tell the same story: no cutting edge when the game is there to be won.
Survival now runs through the courts and the stand
The club's response to the pre-match chaos in Floresta was to denounce City Police over injuries and detentions among supporters, with a statement describing the treatment of "la familia blanca y negra" in their own neighbourhood (8)(15). Director of Refereeing Federico Beligoy's department publicly rejected the cellphone versions of events (9)(10). Meanwhile Lamolina has no game this round, while his assistant Agustín Méndez got Boca (12). All Boys get nothing back from any of it.
What to watch at Los Andes
A win on Sunday at Los Andes is the only currency that matters now (2)(6). Nardozza and a chunk of the squad are carrying sanctions into the run-in, so the selection is going to look unfamiliar whether the staff wants it or not. Three points there and the picture changes. Anything else, with Racing in Córdoba on October 25 and Estudiantes at home on October 31 to follow, and the club is relying on other results instead of its own.
