San Martín de Tucumán and San Martín de San Juan played to a 1-1 draw on Sunday at La Ciudadela stadium during the 24th round of the Primera Nacional, a match defined by a controversial penalty awarded to the home team.
The disputed incident occurred four minutes into the second half when the Tucumán team attacked down the left flank. Agustín Graneros delivered a cross that fell just behind the penalty spot, where a teammate attempted a shot as a San Juan player rushed to block the effort.
The ball struck the defender’s leg and deflected out of the area. The play seemed to continue with a potential counterattack for San Juan, as midfielder number 8 was sprinting in search of the ball. However, referee Brian Ferreyra abruptly halted the match and pointed to the penalty spot.
The player who had taken the shot and another San Martín de Tucumán player raised their arms to appeal for a handball. Ferreyra responded to the claim, interpreting it as a foul, even though subsequent television footage suggested otherwise. Since VAR is not utilized in the Primera Nacional, the referee could not review the play and upheld his decision. Following protests from the visiting team, Carabajal took the penalty and scored, putting Tucumán ahead 1-0 in the 52nd minute.
The official account of San Martín de San Juan expressed their displeasure on X: «After the disgraceful penalty awarded by Ferreyra, the local team scores,» announced the club after the goal.
However, the lead for Tucumán was short-lived, lasting only three minutes. In the 55th minute, Franco Coronel equalized for San Martín de San Juan, securing a final score of 1-1. Post-match, Coronel criticized the referee’s decision, though he acknowledged it as a mistake.
Coronel stated, «The goal of theirs came from a referee’s error. I don’t believe it was a penalty; I was very close to the play. It can happen, refs can make mistakes.» He added that he approached Ferreyra to inform him of the error, to which the referee replied that he also had communication assistance. «It’s clear, you all saw it too. It’s a mistake; it can happen,» he concluded.
With this result, San Martín de Tucumán accumulated 31 points, placing them ninth, while San Martín de San Juan reached 28 points, sitting in fourteenth place. The Primera Nacional features two zones of 18 teams competing in home-and-away matches. The leaders of each group will face off in a final at a neutral venue for the championship and the first promotion slot, while the second will be decided in a reduced tournament involving the losing team and those ranked between second and eighth in each zone. The bottom two teams from each group will be relegated.
Fuente: www.lanacion.com.ar
