Could Aldosivi’s penalty triumph upset the order in Argentina?

What does a cup upset mean when the favourites have had the ball, the chances and the long spells of control? For Club Atlético Aldosivi, the answer came from the penalty spot: on Wednesday 14 May, they beat Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the Copa Argentina.

The 17,512 in attendance had watched a match that refused to follow the neat hierarchy of Argentine football. Instituto, from the Premier Division, completed 564 passes and held 61 per cent possession. Aldosivi, a second-tier club, made less of the ball but attempted more shots, 16 to Instituto’s 11, and put six on target. The score was level after 90 minutes; the shoot-out gave the decisive edge to the visitors.

Sebastián Caminos and Sergio Páez each scored for Instituto, whose play had been made with patience and purpose. Aldosivi found their own answers through Jorge Zamora and substitute Lucas Grosso, introduced in the 80th minute. The hosts had enough moments to make their possession count, including a strike against the woodwork, but not enough to settle the contest before penalties.

There was no grand speech required afterwards. Aldosivi’s achievement lay in surviving a game in which Instituto set the tempo for long stretches, then keeping their composure when the tie became a test of nerve. A cup can briefly bring clubs from different levels into the same frame; on Wednesday, it was Aldosivi who made the most of that equality.

For Instituto, the defeat will sting precisely because they had so much of the match in their hands. For Aldosivi, it is a result to carry forward: a lower-division side turning a hard, close contest into a place in the next stage of the Copa Argentina.