Sellecchia’s Decisive Strike Lifts Villa Dálmine Past Argentino Quilmes, Ignites Battle for Mid-Table Survival

CAMPANA, Argentina — Under the twilight at Estadio El Coliseo de Mitre y Puccini, Villa Dálmine found rare clarity in a season defined by uncertainty. On Saturday afternoon, Federico Sellecchia’s 66th-minute strike proved the razor’s edge difference in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Argentino de Quilmes—a result that not only broke the tension on the pitch, but also recalibrated the Primera B Metropolitana’s crowded mid-table hierarchy.

For a fixture often fought in the shadows of Argentina’s footballing giants, this meeting brimmed with tangible consequence. Both Villa Dálmine and Argentino Quilmes entered tangled in the lower reaches of the standings—Dálmine sitting 14th with 19 points from 15 matches, barely a breath ahead of their visitors, who found themselves 15th, now a point adrift after playing one match more. The air was thick with urgency and the sense that, for once, every pass and tackle might echo beyond a single Saturday.

The match’s opening stanzas were a portrait of caution. With so much at stake and so little separating the sides in performance and ambition, neither team risked losing shape. Argentino Quilmes, in particular, looked to steady themselves after a turbulent run—winless in their last five, drawing three and losing two, their defense often more invitation than impediment. Villa Dálmine, fresh from their own inconsistencies—three wins in five, but a dispiriting 0-2 defeat at Flandria in their most recent outing—approached with equal measures of optimism and trepidation.

Fouls punctuated play, and clear chances were fleeting. Midfield was a congested battleground, with both sides showing more intent in disruption than creation. Each team’s shape remained disciplined, hinting that the opening goal, should it come, would require either a flash of individual brilliance or a costly mistake.

That moment arrived after the hour mark, as Dálmine ratcheted up the pressure. A spell of possession on the right released their wide man, who whipped in a probing ball. The initial delivery was only half-cleared—enough to tempt Argentino Quilmes but not guide them to safety. The ball ricocheted to Federico Sellecchia at the top of the area. With a measured touch, he steadied himself and lashed a low drive through a forest of legs. In an instant, the stadium erupted. Sellecchia’s finish was clinical, the culmination of Dálmine’s most cohesive attack, and it would stand as the afternoon’s solitary goal.

Argentino Quilmes’ response was immediate but, ultimately, futile. Managerial shouts called for urgency and width. Substitutes added fresh legs, but the equalizer never materialized. The visitors’ best opportunity came in the dying minutes—a desperate header from a late corner, glancing harmlessly wide. Dálmine, bolstered by the home crowd and the gravity of the occasion, managed the clock with growing confidence, their defense holding firm in the closing stretch.

The significance of the result cannot be overstated, not in a league this tightly bunched near the foot of the table. Three points see Villa Dálmine climb to 19, creating a slender but vital cushion over Argentino Quilmes and the chasing pack. For the hosts, winners now in four of their last five outings, the trajectory is unmistakably upward. Recent victories over Fénix, Deportivo Laferrere, and Liniers have fueled hopes of not just survival, but potentially a late-season surge. Saturday’s clean sheet—earned through organization and a dash of fortune—underscored a newfound defensive resilience.

For Argentino Quilmes, the road remains perilous. Without a win since early September, their slide continues, now with just a single point separating them from the relegation mire. An attack that once showed promise has sputtered; over their past five matches, they have managed only four goals, and the frustration was etched across faces at the final whistle. While the team avoided disciplinary catastrophes—no red cards marred their effort—the lack of cutting edge leaves little margin for error in the weeks ahead.

The rivalry between these sides, though lacking the historical heat of classic derbies, has always been dictated by the stakes of the moment, and rarely have those stakes felt heavier. For Villa Dálmine, today was both a statement and a springboard. For Argentino Quilmes, it was a reminder of how quickly a season can unravel, and how precious each remaining point will be.

As the Primera B Metropolitana campaign barrels toward its decisive months, the fate of both clubs hangs in delicate balance. Villa Dálmine, buoyed by renewed ambition and a timely match-winner in Sellecchia, face the challenge of sustaining momentum. Argentino Quilmes, meanwhile, must rediscover both their cohesion and their will, lest the season’s closing act become a desperate scramble for safety.

In Campana tonight, Villa Dálmine found more than a goal—they found a foothold in a season where such moments are rare, and often, defining.