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Boca snatch late win in feisty encounter with Gimnasia

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Substitute Andres Chavez struck in the last minute as 10-man Boca Juniors stayed top of the Argentine championship with a 2-1 win over nine-man Gimnasia in La Plata on Saturday. Referee Diego Ceballos showed his red card three times, dismissing Gimnasia's Oliver Benitez and Maximiliano Coronel for bad tackles, and Boca striker Jonathan Calleri for elbowing an opponent. Boca are three points clear of second-placed San Lorenzo, who are at home to Banfield on Sunday, ahead of their top-of-the-table clash with the Saints at La Bombonera next weekend. "It got complicated for us with the sending off but we showed character and in the end were able to take the three points," Boca coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena told Futbol Para Todos. "We've got San Lorenzo next, that's the objective and we're aiming at that." Arruabarrena will be without Argentina team mates Carlos Tevez and Fernando Gago, and Uruguay midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro for the match against San Lorenzo as they will all be on international duty. However, the trio will be back for the "Superclasico" away at arch-rivals River Plate on Sept. 13 with Tevez saying: "They are two matches that will decide the championship." Gimnasia were a man short from the 22nd minute when Benitez was dismissed for a tackle from behind on midfielder Adrian Cubas but took the lead through striker Nicolas Mazzola two minutes into the second half. Mazzola ran on to a long ball between the central defenders and beat goalkeeper Agustin Orion, who was back in the Boca side from a two-match suspension after being sent off two weeks ago. Calleri was sent off two minutes later for elbowing defender Osvaldo Barsottini in an off-the-ball incident before Boca equalised through Lodeiro. Coronel floored Gino Peruzzi with a two-footed lunge at the Boca defender in the 66th minute and Ceballos had no hesitation in sending him off to leave Gimnasia with nine men. Boca then threw everything at Gimnasia and substitute Chavez bagged the points when he got to Sebastian Palacios' cross before goalkeeper Nicolas Navarro and turned the ball into the net for the side's seventh win in eight matches. Argentinos Juniors ended a run of eight matches without a win, beating Crucero del Norte 4-0 at the Maradona ground on Friday to ease the pressure on coach Nestor Gorosito. (Additional reporting by Luis Ampuero; Writing by Rex Gowar; Editing by John O'Brien)