Independiente Hit With Three Injuries in Same Match Against Union de Santa Fe

There are afternoons when the opponent weighs less than your own injury list. That's what happened to Independiente on the road against Union de Santa Fe, in matchday 10 of Zone A of the Torneo Clausura 2026, broadcast live on ESPN Premium: Viera's side went into halftime having already made two enforced substitutions, then added a third in the second half.

The first scare came early. In the 21st minute, Chimy Avila felt a problem in his ankle and couldn't continue. Ivan Morales came on in his place, still early in his time at the club, this was just his third match wearing the Rojo jersey, and once again he had to enter off the bench ahead of schedule, without much chance to enjoy real minutes on the field.

The second blow was, perhaps, the hardest to watch. Near the end of the first half, Josias Palais clashed heads with Matias Rocha and came off worse in the collision. Independiente's young midfielder had to leave the field on a stretcher cart, unable to continue, in a scene that raised concern well beyond the result of the match. Matias Abaldo came on to replace him.

As if two losses weren't enough, the second half brought a third. Facundo Zabala simply didn't come back out for the restart, and Ramiro Martino took his place. There's one detail that offers at least a bit of relief: Viera hadn't used that substitution window before, so the move didn't cost him any options for the rest of the match.

A first half to forget physically

Between Avila's ankle, Palais's head injury and Zabala's absence at the start of the second half, Independiente had to reshuffle a good part of its lineup before the second half had even begun. Three injuries in a single match is a lot for any team to handle, and the coaching staff had to solve things on the fly with the introductions of Morales, Abaldo and Martino.

We'll have to wait for the upcoming medical reports to know the real extent of each injury, especially Palais's, which caused the most concern in the moment given the way he had to leave the field. For now, the concrete fact remains: a first half with two forced changes and a second half that opened with a third, all in the same afternoon against Union.