River already knows its rival for the final of the 2026 Apertura Tournament. In a fiercely contested match, Belgrano defeated Argentinos Juniors in the penalty shootout. The Pirata managed to equalize 1-1 in the dying minutes and, after a goalless extra time, triumphed from the spot by 4-3.
In the first few minutes, the home team would dominate possession and offensive actions. This scenario would be reflected at the 6-minute mark, when Facundo Jainikoski, after a great combination of passes and a bit of luck with the rebounds, would score the first goal of the afternoon.
On the other side, bad news kept coming at the start of the match. In addition to almost conceding another goal this time from Leandro Morales, who would go for it himself, but his shot would be saved by goalkeeper Thiago Cardozo, at the 11th minute, Lisandro López would feel discomfort that would leave him out of the match and Ruso Zielinski would have to make his first substitution prematurely. In his place, Agustín Falcon would come on.
Although Belgrano would start to have more chances, Argentinos would have the clearest opportunities to extend the lead, including one at the end of the first half from Iván Morales that Cardozo would deflect to the top of the goal. However, neither team would manage to change the score before the break.
In the second half, the rhythm of the match would remain similar: a clearer Argentinos in attack and a Belgrano trying to capitalize on the dangerous offensive situations they had, although with a bit more possession than before, largely thanks to the introduction of Franco "El Mudo" Vázquez.
As the minutes passed, the Pirata would start to pressure Bicho more and more, pushing them back towards their area. Towards the end, the hopes of the Córdoba team to equalize seemed to fade after a shot from Lucas Zelarayán that hit the post, although a final play would change the story. In the 94th of 95, the substitute Nicolás "Uvita" Fernández would have a precise shot close to the right post of Brayan Cortes to send the match into extra time.
After a first extra time without major incidents, aside from a dangerous cross from Sebastián Prieto that would close in and pass dangerously close to Cardozo's goal, in the second half of the extra time there would be one last chance for Argentinos to take the lead. Gastón Verón would receive the ball in the small box and attempt to push it into the back of the net, but the Córdoba goalkeeper managed to save his shot with a heroic dive. With not much more to highlight, the second semifinal would go to penalty shootouts.
The penalty shootout
1 | Argentinos Juniors | 0-0: Verón would hit his shot against the crossbar
1 | Belgrano | 0-0: Zelarayan's weak shot to the right and Cortés would guess correctly
2 | Argentinos Juniors | 1-0: Hernán López Muñoz would shoot to the right, Cardozo would touch it but wouldn't manage to save it
