Late Drama and Attacking Brilliance: Audax Italiano Outlasts Unión La Calera in Seven-Goal Thriller
On a cool spring night at Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida, the stands trembled with the echoes of urgency and hope as fifth-placed Audax Italiano clashed with a desperate Unión La Calera. For both sides, this was no ordinary league fixture. For Audax, a win would keep them firmly planted in the upper echelons of the Chilean Primera División. For La Calera, it was about clawing back relevance and respect after a season marred by inconsistency. What unfolded was a frenetic, seesawing contest that delivered seven goals, individual brilliance, and a statement about both clubs’ ambitions—and their frailties.
It took little time for the script to quicken. The home side surged forward with intent, and Leonardo Valencia—the seasoned catalyst on so many Audax attacks this year—wasted no time stamping his authority. In the 11th minute, Valencia latched onto a neat through ball, calmly slotting past the advancing keeper to ignite La Florida and put Audax Italiano ahead. That early breakthrough seemed to steady Audax, still smarting from their 2-4 Copa Chile exit at Huachipato just twelve days earlier, and reinforced their penchant for electric starts.
But Union La Calera, sitting a precarious 11th in the standings but never short on fight, were not content to play the foil. For much of the first half, they soaked up pressure with a mix of composure and calculated risk, their intent telegraphed by crisp passing from the back. In a span of three dizzying minutes before the break, their resilience was rewarded—first, Sebastián Sáez stunned the home fans by finishing off a fluid attacking move in the 39th minute, drawing La Calera level with a predator’s touch. Then, almost immediately, Leandro Benegas piled on, steering La Calera ahead with an acrobatic finish that momentarily flipped the match on its head.
That La Calera could turn a deficit into a lead so swiftly spoke volumes about their capacity for sudden, measured aggression—a capacity rarely seen in their recent run, which before this night had seen only one win from their last five league outings. But as has too often been their story this season, promise gave way to vulnerability.
The second half belonged to Michael Fuentes. With Audax chasing the game and their supporters growing restless, it was Fuentes who summoned both composure and conviction. Just ten minutes after the interval, he rifled home an equalizer—his 55th-minute strike a testament to his positional awareness and predatory instincts. Buoyed by the momentum shift, Audax pressed higher, their midfield squeezing the space La Calera’s playmakers had once found so inviting.
In the 66th minute, Fuentes struck again, his brace the product of a surging counterattack that left the visiting defense scrambling and the home supporters roaring, their voices echoing around the stadium. The tide had turned, and Audax began to play with the confidence of a team that has now averaged over two goals per game during their recent upturn, highlighted by another 4-3 triumph just last month at Unión Española.
But the drama was not yet finished. With a quarter-hour remaining, Germán Guiffrey added Audax’s fourth, his finish punctuating a set-piece scramble that typified La Calera’s defensive fragility. At 4-2, it seemed Audax might finally cruise—but La Calera engineered a late surge of their own, reducing the deficit and ratcheting up the tension as the minutes ebbed away. Yet, for all their belated urgency, La Calera could not conjure the equalizer. The final whistle was met with a mixture of exultation and exhaustion.
For Audax Italiano, this was not only a night of three points but a reaffirmation of their attacking identity. With 40 points from 23 matches (12 wins, 4 draws, 7 losses), they solidify their grip on fifth place and remain in the mix for continental qualification, their goalscoring fluency again on full display. The defensive lapses that have haunted them—evidenced by those three goals conceded—will not have escaped the notice of manager and supporters alike, but on nights like these, the thrill of victory is enough to drown out deeper concerns.
For Unión La Calera, the defeat is both familiar and cruel. Now with 26 points from 23 games (7 wins, 5 draws, 11 losses), their mid-table ambitions continue to fade. This loss, their third in six league matches, underlines a pattern: flashes of attacking verve undone by brittle defending and an inability to manage critical stretches. The echo of tonight’s match will linger as a microcosm of a season teetering between promise and regret.
As the season enters its final act, Audax Italiano faces the challenge of sustaining momentum and shoring up a defense that too often risks sabotaging their continental quest. For Unión La Calera, the path forward demands resilience, introspection, and urgent improvement at both ends of the pitch. With only a handful of matches left to reshape their narrative, both teams now confront the realities of their campaigns—weighted by recent history, beckoned by opportunity, and, after a night like this, unmistakably alive to the drama that only football can provide.