Belgrano routs Sarmiento 4-0, already thinking about Cordoba derby with Talleres

With their spot in the round of 16 already secured, Belgrano could have taken it easy. They didn't. They routed Sarmiento 4-0 in the ninth and final round of Zone B of the 2026 Apertura, and in the process set themselves up for what's already starting to feel like a special matchup: a Cordoba derby against Talleres in the next round.

Coach Ruso Zielinski's team took the field with some starters rested, but from the first minute it was clear there was no intention of coasting. On the other side, Sarmiento arrived needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Yet the approach of Colorado Sava's squad was the exact opposite of what the situation demanded: they sat back from the start and handed the initiative to a rival far better equipped to make them pay for it.

An unstoppable first half at home

Francisco Gonzalez Metilli was a constant nightmare for the visiting defense throughout the opening half and didn't take long to be rewarded: he opened the scoring in the 36th minute off an assist from Lucas Passerini. Seven minutes later came the second, though with a particular twist: a run from Emiliano Rigoni ended in a rebound that Lucas Suarez, a former Talleres player, inadvertently turned into his own net to make it 2-0.

The second half picked up right where the first left off. The assumption was that Belgrano, already through, might ease off, and that the score at the break would be enough for Sarmiento to regroup. The opposite happened. Ten minutes in, Passerini turned provider again, setting up Ramiro Hernandes one on one with the goalkeeper without even touching the ball himself. Hernandes finished calmly to make it 3-0, and from there the game started to feel more and more like a derby.

The debutant's celebration

In the closing minutes, Zielinski turned to his bench with an eye on what's coming next, bringing on Lucas Zelarayan, Mudo Vazquez and Uvita Fernandez, hoping to get them some minutes before the clash with the "T." The substitutions added fresh legs to the home attack and buried a Sarmiento side that by then seemed more focused on ending its rough patch than mounting any kind of comeback.

Also entering late was Ramiro Tulian, one of the club's top academy prospects, with a release clause of 15 million dollars and a contract through 2028. It turned out to be no ordinary afternoon for him: Vazquez pressed and won the ball back in midfield, played a perfect long pass, Tulian committed to the run to get in behind and reach the goalkeeper, then lifted a powerful, high finish for the first goal of his career in the top flight, sealing the final score at 4-0.

With the rout complete, attention now turns to the round of 16, where Belgrano awaits Talleres in another chapter of the Cordoba derby. The history between the two clubs includes memorable knockout meetings, like the 2013 Copa Argentina round of 32 or the 1998 Primera Nacional final, and this new installment promises to join that list of matchups fans remember for years.