Instituto de Córdoba stayed atop Zone A of the Torneo Clausura after ten rounds, while the week's biggest story came from the bottom of Zone B: Racing Club ended an eight-match winless run, beating Sarmiento de Junín 3-1 to escape last place.
Instituto beat Talleres 3-1 to stay two points clear at the top of Zone A with 22 points. Vélez Sarsfield, the tournament's last unbeaten side, kept pace in second on 20 with a 3-2 win over Tigre in an interzonal fixture, while Defensa y Justicia sits third on 18 and Boca Juniors, Gimnasia de Mendoza and Independiente are level on 17.
In Zone B, Rosario Central beat Argentinos Juniors 1-0, drawing level with them atop the standings, while Gimnasia de La Plata and Independiente Rivadavia sit a point behind. River Plate's 1-2 loss to Huracán dropped it to ninth in the zone, outside the top-eight positions that advance to the playoff stage.
Racing's win snapped a run of two draws and six losses stretching back nearly two months, its longest winless streak of the season. "It's a relief," coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda said afterward. "We need the people -- in difficult moments you see the quality of the fans. I appreciate the support." Vojvoda, who had faced mounting questions over his job, called the week leading up to the match "a logical start, given the situation we're in," adding: "I want to reverse this."
The Race for International Spots
The results also moved the Tabla Anual, the cumulative table combining the Clausura with the earlier Torneo Apertura that sets most of Argentina's 2027 Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana berths. Independiente Rivadavia took sole control of that table after beating Barracas Central 1-0, joining Vélez, Boca and Apertura champion Belgrano in the four automatic Libertadores places. Argentinos Juniors, Rosario Central, Instituto, Gimnasia de La Plata, River and Estudiantes de La Plata are competing for the five Sudamericana spots further down the same table.
At the other end, Estudiantes de Río Cuarto and Aldosivi remain in the relegation zone, though Aldosivi's 1-0 win over Atlético Tucumán offered some breathing room. Both zones now go on hiatus for the FIFA international break, with Fecha 11 not scheduled until early October.