Since professionalism was established in Argentine soccer, 15 La Plata classics were played in the month of March: 5 were in the old Pincha stadium, 7 in the Forest and 3 in the Ciudad de La Plata Stadium (one local el Lobo and two el Pincha)
The statistics say that on balance Estudiantes fared better, achieving 7 wins and scoring 26 goals, against 3 wins for Gimnasia with 11 goals converted. While 5 games ended in tables.
The first of the classics was played on March 13, 1932It was the third time that they met in the professional era and there was a historic win for Estudiantes at home. They won 6-1. The following year the tripero team also had revenge in the visiting field, where they won 2-0.
We had to wait until the 1970s, in 1972, for them to face each other again in March and it was 0-0. While on March 9, 1975 it was an emblematic crash. It was 3 to 3. Estudiantes won it by 2 goals and Gimnasia ended up drawing it. The legendary magazine El Gráfico titled it “Afternoon of Witches and Ghosts”, due to a superb performance by Juan Ramón Verón and the ghost Miguel Ángel Benito. That day is also remembered for the birth of Sebastián, the continuation of the Verón dynasty.
To find the first clash in the Forest, you have to go to March 21, 1976. It was 1 to 1 with goals from Hector Milano y Pamperito Fornari. In March 1978 Lobo won 1-0 at home, with a goal from Fornari.
They did not play again in March until the 1990s. More precisely in 1993 with a 0-0 score in 60 and 118. Then, due to the Closing Tournament of 1998, on March 18 one of the classics was recorded where Gimnasia achieved a greater football difference , with a superb performance by Carlos Timoteo Griguol’s team, which won 3-0, with goals from Andrés Yllana and two of Roberto Sosa.
The next one in March was in Siglo XXI, on March 12, 2001, when Estudiantes won 2-1, goals from Luciano Galletti and Ernesto Farias, while Ariel Pereyra discounted for the Wolf. On March 5, 2011, a game was played for the first time in the third month of the year at the Estadio Único. Pincha won 2-0, goals from Gastón Fernández and Enzo Pérez.
He March 16, 2014 For the Final Tournament, Estudiantes broke a long streak without being able to win in the Forest. It was 1-0 with both Franco Jaraafter a great play by Tucu Correa. The following year, Estudiantes won again on “enemy” ground 3-1. Jonathan Schunke, Guido Carrillo and Ezekiel Cerutti. The one with the Wolf wrote it down Paul Vegetti.
On March 10, 2019 at Ciudad de La Plata, Estudiantes won with a goal from Lucas Albertengo by 1 to 0, with Pablo Quatrocchi being the interim coach of the albirrojos.
On the 20th of that month, but in 2022 they played for the last time in the third month of the year. It was for the League Cup and on a healthy mens court. They equalized 1 to 1, with goals from Leonardo Godoy and the tie of Eric Ramirez in discount time. Néstor Gorosito and Ricardo Zielinski were the coaches.
This Sunday there will be a new chapter of this story, after a week of closed doors, a lot of mystery, few statements and no folklore.
