Belgrano wins 2-1 as Thiago Cardozo makes stoppage-time save to seal it

Some saves are worth three points. Others are worth a plane ticket. Thiago Cardozo's was the second kind, and it came at the worst possible moment for the opposition: the final minute of the match.

Belgrano beat Estudiantes de Río Cuarto 2-1 in Córdoba in matchday ten of Argentina's 2026 Torneo Clausura, in a finish that had a little bit of everything. The visitors had taken the lead through Martín Garnerone in the 74th minute and looked poised to leave Córdoba with something to show for it. But Belgrano refused to fold: Lautaro Ismael González equalized in the 82nd minute, and Lucas Passerini put the home side in front deep into stoppage time, in the 90+5th minute.

Just when it seemed the 2-1 scoreline was set, the match produced one final twist. In the 90+7th minute, Estudiantes de Río Cuarto had a golden chance to level things with a header from Javier Ferreira that was headed straight for the corner of the net. Cardozo, though, got across his goal and clawed the ball away with his right hand just before it crossed the line, pushing it out for a corner kick.

The crowd's reaction was instant. Belgrano fans rose to their feet to salute the goalkeeper with a chant that's becoming a familiar sound in Córdoba: "U-ru-guayo! U-ru-guayo!"

That chant was no coincidence. Hours after the match, Cardozo flew out to Asia after being called up by Diego Forlán for Uruguay's national team tour. A save like the one he produced in the dying seconds against Estudiantes de Río Cuarto goes a long way toward explaining why the goalkeeper has found a place in La Celeste's plans right now.

With the result, Belgrano claimed all three points at home and closed out matchday ten of the Clausura with a win decided in stoppage time, first in Estudiantes de Río Cuarto's favor, and then, thanks to Cardozo's right hand, in Belgrano's.