Estudiantes L.P. vs Gimnasia L.P. Match Recap - Oct 19, 2025

Estudiantes Dominate the Clásico Platense to Reignite Campaign with Convincing Win over Gimnasia

In La Plata, the thin October dusk thickened over Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, but the tension never lifted until Estudiantes de La Plata once more imposed their will on the city’s longest-running rivalry. The Clásico Platense, a fixture that has defined the pulse of this provincial capital for over a century, delivered another chapter of decisive red-and-white dominance as Estudiantes dispatched Gimnasia 2-0, the goals coming from Edwuin Cetré and the ever-reliable Guido Carrillo.

Estudiantes, perched on the edge of the Liga Profesional’s upper tier but dogged by recent stalemates, needed a statement to vault themselves from the shadows of mediocrity. After three consecutive draws that had sapped momentum—a string of 1-1s, each more frustrating than the last—the Clásico presented both peril and possibility. Their rivals, Gimnasia, arrived with a season teetering on the brink: just one victory in their past five outings and a defense leaking at crucial moments, the blue-and-white visitors faced the daunting task of changing the city’s narrative in hostile territory.

It was a night built for heroes and, as so often in derby lore, for heartbreak. Neither side hesitated in the opening quarter-hour, with possession scrapped over rather than retained, both midfields churning through challenges. The nerves of the crowd seemed to echo on the pitch: every miscue was magnified, each surge met by a cacophony of drums and chants.

But as halftime loomed, Estudiantes’ discipline and patience began to squeeze the air from Gimnasia’s counterattacks. In the 45th minute, the breakthrough came as if on cue. Gastón Benedetti pressed up the left, threading a pass through the lines that found Cetré slicing in from the right flank. With a deft first touch, Cetré skipped past Gimnasia fullback Nicolás Colazo and lashed a low, controlled finish past Nelson Insfrán. Hirschi erupted—a goal on the edge of the break, a dagger at a critical juncture, and Cetré’s confidence, restored after recent droughts, was unmistakable as he wheeled away in celebration.

Momentum, so elusive in recent weeks for Eduardo Domínguez’s men, finally bled into the second half. Just seven minutes after the interval, Estudiantes doubled their lead. Benjamín Rollheiser, increasingly influential as the conductor in attack, drifted inside and found a seam between Gimnasia’s defenders. His slip pass to Guido Carrillo was perfectly weighted; Carrillo, calm as ever, used his strength to hold off Leonardo Morales before slotting past the stranded Insfrán. For Carrillo, a talismanic figure whose scoring touch has been vital all season, it was a goal that not only punished their rivals but seemed to exorcise the staleness of prior draws.

Two down, Gimnasia struggled to muster genuine response. The visitors, who had leaked ten goals in their previous five matches, looked bereft of attacking invention, their only real spell of pressure arriving in fits and starts during a brief midfield surge midway through the second half. Estudiantes’ back line, anchored by Zaid Romero and Luciano Lollo, absorbed what little threat arose, as the home supporters grew more assured with every passing minute.

Referee Hernán Mastrángelo kept his cards pocketed for much of the encounter, an unusual calm for what is often a tempestuous derby. There were no red cards, though that owed more to discipline from both sides than any lack of intent. The fouls, as always, mounted—but the match never boiled over into outright mayhem, a testament to the stakes and the professional edge at play.

With the clock winding down, Estudiantes were content to control tempo, frustrating Gimnasia’s attempts to claw back what, by then, looked like a lost cause. The win vaults Estudiantes to 18 points and solidifies their hold on sixth place, now within striking distance of the pack above. For Gimnasia, once again, the derby is a bitter pill—a club languishing in 12th place, five points adrift of their city rivals, and mired in a stretch of just one win in five league games.

This victory stands as more than just another chapter in the city’s rivalry—it is a moment of inflection for Domínguez’s squad. After failing to convert narrow margins in recent weeks, Estudiantes rediscovered both clinical edge and defensive stability, a combination that will serve them well as the season’s second half beckons. For Carrillo, tonight’s goal adds to his burgeoning status as the club’s offensive heartbeat. For Cetré, the opener may be the spark that propels him into a lead role down the home stretch.

Gimnasia, meanwhile, must reckon not only with another defeat in the city’s showcase event but with a campaign that threatens to unravel unless urgent answers are found. The pressure on Leonardo Madelón’s side intensifies, with must-win matches looming and the specter of slipping further from relevance in the league table. La Plata belongs, once more, to Estudiantes; whether Gimnasia can alter the script in future chapters remains, for now, an open—and daunting—question.