Huracan reached the final of the Argentine Apertura tournament after a tense 6-5 win in a penalty shootout against Independiente on Saturday. The semi-final match, held at the Libertadores de America stadium, ended 0-0 in regular time.
Huracan had a strong start and created chances in the first half with shots from Matko Miljevic and Walter Mazzantti, but they couldn’t find the net. In the second half, Independiente, who had knocked out Boca Juniors in the quarter-finals, pushed harder. They nearly scored through Matias Gimenez, who got on the end of a good cross from Santiago Montiel. Kevin Lomonaco also had a chance, but his shot didn’t go in either.
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With neither team scoring during the match, the game went to penalties. Huracan took an early lead when Gabriel Avalos missed Independiente’s first penalty. It looked like Huracan had it in the bag, but goalkeeper Rodrigo Rey kept his team alive by saving Leonardo Gil’s fifth penalty.
In the end, it was Huracan’s goalkeeper Hernan Galindez who became the hero. He stopped 20-year-old Santiago Hidalgo’s shot in sudden death, securing the win and sending Huracan to the final.
“This is amazing, such a great feeling,” Galindez said after the match. “We had some chances to score and gave our best throughout the game, even though the pitch was tough since we were playing away.”
He added, “During the penalty shootout, I guessed right and saved the key ones. Our team worked really hard, stayed strong together, and we’re like a family. That made the difference.”
Huracan will now wait to see who they face in the final — either San Lorenzo or Platense, who play in the second semi-final on Sunday.
