Godoy cruise to summit

Newell's Old Boys 3-0 Chacarita Juniors
Huracán 3-1 Gimnasia La Plata
Independiente 0-1 San Lorenzo
Lanús 0-0 Rosario Central
Vélez Sarsfield 0-0 Banfield
Atlético Tucumán 0-0 River Plate
Godoy Cruz 6-2 Tigre
Estudiantes 4-0 Racing Club
Boca Juniors 4-0 Arsenal
Argentinos Juniors 3-1 Colón

Tigre were put to the sword by Godoy Cruz who, after a little wobble around the hour mark, ran out hefty winners as they went top of the Clausura table. Rodrigo Salinas ended with a hat-trick, his first coming a minute after the restart by which time Godoy were already 1-0 up through Francisco Dutari. Daniel Vega made it three before a Tigre rally when they pulled two back in two minutes. Leandro Lazzarro got one and a Zelmar Garcia own goal made it 3-2, but Leonardo Sigali got Godoy's fourth before Salinas completed his hat-trick. Argentinos Juniors join Godoy at the top on 28 points after a comfortable win over Colón. Nestor Ortigoza, Jose Luis Calderon and Ismael Sosa put Argentinos into a 3-0 lead before Jonathan Bauman got a stoppage time consolation. Independiente lost again as they slide down the table, Nelson Benitez with an early goal for resurgent San Lorenzo. Estudiantes move ahead of them on goal difference after thumping Racing. Leandro Gonzalez got two as Estudiantes went 3-0 up before the break and closed out a 4-0 win.

River Plate's woes continue and Leonardo Astrada lost his job in the wake of the 0-0 draw at rock bottom Atlético Tucumán. Relegation is worked out over three seasons, a move widely seen - with good reason - as intended to keep the big boys in the top league. Even with that, River are dangerously close to being dragged into it and have made the move to arrest the slide. Things aren't so great at Boca either, but they won well against Arsenal. Martin Palermo struck twice and Juan Riquelme was also on the scoresheet as they ran out 4-0 winners, but it's papering over cracks at the Bombonera. The model they successfully employed involved developing young talent and selling it on to Europe. As soon as Riquelme returned, that model broke down. Rumours of factions - a Riquelme faction, a Palermo faction - in the dressing room are rife and it can't be easy to build a team ethic when one bloke is earning many times more than the others.

Elsewhere, Cristian Nunez got all three for Newell's in a 3-0 win over Chacarita and Huracán went up to sixth with a win over Gimnasia. After a goalless first half, Andres Franziosa and Diego Rodriguez put them two up early in the second period. Antonio Aguero pulled one back, but Gustavo Balvorin sealed it in the last minute. There were goalless draws at Lanús and Vélez. Rosario Central hung on for 0-0 against Lanús despite losing Gervasio Nunez to a second yellow on the hour while Vélez midfielder Leandro Somoza got a straight red in the stalemate with Banfield.

This week:

Chacarita Juniors v Atlético Tucumán
Tigre v Estudiantes
Banfield v Independiente
River Plate v Godoy Cruz
San Lorenzo v Huracán
Gimnasia La Plata v Boca Juniors
Rosario Central v Newell's Old Boys
Racing Club v Vélez Sarsfield
Arsenal v Argentinos Juniors
Colón v Lanús

It's the Rosario derby this week, Central hosting it this season while managerless River face the new leaders, goal-happy Godoy Cruz.