Facundo Castet

Left Back - Olimpija Ljubljana
11 Apr 2030
Thursday
Process

Marked for Facundo Castet

193 Edition

The Olimpija Ljubljana Gazette

8 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Olimpija Ljubljana refuse to drop out of the race

Position 2, 42 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.

Market

Only the photograph left for Soslan Takulov

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Soslan Takulov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Olimpija Ljubljana the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Marko Brest in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Olimpija Ljubljana this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

Back issues
186 Edition

The Olimpija Ljubljana Gazette

18 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Denis Pintol says Olimpija Ljubljana went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Denis Pintol is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Olimpija Ljubljana is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Olimpija Ljubljana

Marko Brest was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

181 Edition

The Olimpija Ljubljana Gazette

14 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Olimpija Ljubljana up to position 2

42 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Sandi Janza asks to leave Olimpija Ljubljana

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

NK Celje come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Olimpija Ljubljana did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Soslan Takulov is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Olimpija Ljubljana is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Olimpija Ljubljana

Marko Brest was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

ND Gorica are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Olimpija Ljubljana will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

In brief

179 Edition

The Olimpija Ljubljana Gazette

31 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Abdullah Al-Mogren puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Olimpija Ljubljana, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Only the photograph left for Denis Pintol

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Denis Pintol will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Olimpija Ljubljana the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Tempers go at Olimpija Ljubljana

Marko Brest was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Andraž Lipec gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Nemanja Motika question follows Olimpija Ljubljana around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Nemanja Motika’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Squad

Mohammed Al-Shwirekh knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Mohammed Al-Shwirekh trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

177 Edition

The Olimpija Ljubljana Gazette

17 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Olimpija Ljubljana up to position 2

42 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Facundo Castet asks to leave Olimpija Ljubljana

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Artemy Kosogorov says Olimpija Ljubljana went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

In brief

175 Edition

The Olimpija Ljubljana Gazette

3 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Facundo Castet says Olimpija Ljubljana went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Abdullah Al-Mogren asks to leave Olimpija Ljubljana

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Denis Pintol is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Olimpija Ljubljana is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Olimpija Ljubljana

Marko Brest was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Fredéric Ananou

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

The month belongs to Dino Kojić

The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Olimpija Ljubljana have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.

In brief

173 Edition

The Olimpija Ljubljana Gazette

19 Nov 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Marko Brest runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 32. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

Olimpija Ljubljana are in among the leaders

Position 2 and 42 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Market

Facundo Castet hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Olimpija Ljubljana can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Mohammed Al-Shwirekh keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Olimpija Ljubljana may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Match

7 unbeaten for Olimpija Ljubljana

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Olimpija Ljubljana did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Tempers go at Olimpija Ljubljana

Veljko Jelenković was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Marko Ristić

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 21 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Nemanja Motika

Marked 8.84 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Dino Kojić

9 goals and a season average of 7.33 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

In brief

172 Edition

The Olimpija Ljubljana Gazette

12 Nov 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Bruno Lourenço hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Olimpija Ljubljana can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Josip Perković says Olimpija Ljubljana went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Marko Brest in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Olimpija Ljubljana this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Olimpija Ljubljana

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Marko Brest is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.42 with 9 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Match

Dino Kojić the difference as Olimpija Ljubljana beat NK Krsko

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Dino Kojić. 3‑1 against NK Krsko, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Dino Kojić

Marked 9.05 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Marko Brest

Marked 8.79 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Home is on Facundo Castet's mind

“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Olimpija Ljubljana are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

In brief

164 Edition

The Olimpija Ljubljana Gazette

17 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Olimpija Ljubljana make it 4 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Olimpija Ljubljana have 4 straight wins of it.

Squad

Marko Brest in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Olimpija Ljubljana this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Facundo Castet signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Facundo Castet commits to Olimpija Ljubljana for another 3 years.

Match

Olimpija Ljubljana see off NK Domzale

Three points for Olimpija Ljubljana, 2‑1 the final word against NK Domzale in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Dino Kojić

Marked 8.87 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Marko Brest

Marked 8.62 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Marko Brest

7 goals and a season average of 7.31 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Tristan Kotar

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

Ildi Gruda leaves them behind him

Shots: 10. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

163 Edition

The Olimpija Ljubljana Gazette

10 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

Luka Baš says Olimpija Ljubljana went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Jan Gorenc

Defensive actions: 26. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Marko Brest

Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Olimpija Ljubljana turn down Obolon for Tijan Vasić

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Denis Pintol has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Olimpija Ljubljana they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

Olimpija Ljubljana make it 3 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Olimpija Ljubljana have 3 straight wins of it.

Squad

Tempers go at Olimpija Ljubljana

Dino Kojić was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Ahmet Muhamedbegović

Defensive actions: 22. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

One of those days for Nemanja Motika

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.97, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

137 Edition

The Colón Post

12 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Máximo Johnston hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Colón can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Nicolás Utrera is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Colón is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Máximo Johnston

Defensive actions: 24. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Tempers go at Colón

Pier Barrios was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

One of those days for Agustín Giménez

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.84, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Iván Ojeda

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Agustín Giménez sends Colón past Gimnasia y Esgrima

It finished 1‑0, and it was Agustín Giménez’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Colón.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ignacio Lago

Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Facundo Castet knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Facundo Castet trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

135 Edition

The Colón Post

26 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Lucas Picech has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Colón they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Colón

Pier Barrios was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Boardroom

Colón counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Colón now.

Match

Temperley take the points off Colón

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

One of those days for Agustín Giménez

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.70, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Colón lose Lautaro Gaitán

71 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

No hiding place for Ignacio Lago

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ignacio Lago, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Nahuel Curcio

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Matías Budiño

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

In brief

131 Edition

The Colón Post

29 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Colón are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 62 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Market

Thiago Fusco asks to leave Colón

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Juan Ignacio Berasi is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Colón is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Colón

Pier Barrios was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Boardroom

Colón counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Colón now.

Squad

Colón lose Lautaro Gaitán

99 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

In brief

130 Edition

The Colón Post

22 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Only the photograph left for Conrado Ibarra

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Conrado Ibarra will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Colón the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Market

Colón turn down Esteghlal for Ignacio Lago

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Máximo Johnston hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Colón can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Pier Barrios in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Colón this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Facundo Castet knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Facundo Castet trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Market

The Facundo Castro story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Facundo Castro signs something — a contract at Colón or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

129 Edition

The Colón Post

15 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Conrado Ibarra hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Colón can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Colón sell Nicolás Thaller for $3.8M

Nicolás Thaller has left for Lech in a $3.8M deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Market

Nicolás Utrera is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Colón is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

Ignacio Lago attracts admirers

The name of Ignacio Lago has come up in conversations Colón were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Tempers go at Colón

Pier Barrios was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Facundo Castet knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Facundo Castet trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

123 Edition

The Colón Post

4 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Colón turn down Central Norte for Conrado Ibarra

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Match

Colón refuse to drop out of the race

Position 3, 62 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.

Market

Máximo Johnston asks to leave Colón

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Only the photograph left for Laureano Paez

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Laureano Paez will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Colón the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Pier Barrios signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Pier Barrios and Colón agree another 2 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Colón

Pier Barrios was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Boardroom

Colón counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Colón now.

Market

Juan Ignacio Berasi attracts admirers

The name of Juan Ignacio Berasi has come up in conversations Colón were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Facundo Castet knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Facundo Castet trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

122 Edition

The Colón Post

27 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Lorenzo Orzán hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Colón can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Only the photograph left for Enzo Galizzi

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Enzo Galizzi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Colón the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Pier Barrios in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Colón this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

Wages eat 95% of everything Colón earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Loan watch

Jerónimo Buosi has seen enough of Real Salt Lake

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Colón, and 5 appearances in 15 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

Facundo Castet asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Loan watch

The goals keep arriving from Benjamín Alegre’s exile

6 goals in 21 games at Leones — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Colón updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.

Market

The Ignacio Lago question follows Colón around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Ignacio Lago’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Market

Tomás Gallay placed on the list

Colón have made Tomás Gallay available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

116 Edition

The Colón Post

16 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Leandro Allende asks to leave Colón

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Pier Barrios in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Colón this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Facundo Castet knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Colón, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

115 Edition

The Colón Post

9 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Colón up to position 3

62 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Tomás Gallay puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Colón, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Laureano Paez is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Colón is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Matías Budiño signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Matías Budiño and Colón agree another 3 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Colón

Pier Barrios was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Boardroom

Colón counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Colón now.

In brief

100 Edition

The Colón Post

26 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Colón tear Defensores Unidos apart

Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 3‑0 against Defensores Unidos, and it could have been more.

Market

Facundo Castet hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Colón can pretend not to have heard.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Conrado Ibarra

Defensive actions: 30. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Market

Sharjah come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Colón did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Match

7 unbeaten for Colón

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Colón did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Tempers go at Colón

Pier Barrios was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Agustín Giménez runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

Facundo Castro in the eights

A performance of 8.80 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Lucas Cano

Marked 8.77 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

96 Edition

The Colón Post

29 May 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Matías Budiño keeps Colón in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Player ratings

Ignacio Lago runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Colón

Pier Barrios was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Nicolás Thaller

Marked 8.48 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Nicolás Thaller

7 goals and a season average of 7.25 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Match

Honours even between Colón and Estudiantes

2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief