Unión defeated Instituto 2-1 in a group stage match of the Professional League, played at the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium in Córdoba. Unión's goals came from Cristian Tarragona and Mateo Del Blanco, with Luca Rafaelli scoring Instituto's consolation goal.
The match between Instituto and Unión took place on March 1, 2026, at 7:15 PM Argentina time and was broadcast on ESPN Premium. Unión took the lead with a goal from Cristian Tarragona at the 42nd minute of the first half, holding a 1-0 advantage at halftime. In the second half, Luca Rafaelli equalized for Instituto at the 2nd minute, but Mateo Del Blanco restored Unión's lead just three minutes later, at the 9th.
Final statistics indicated a balanced game: both teams had 50% possession, Instituto had 8 shots on goal compared to Unión's 7, and there were 14 fouls by the home side against 13 by the visitors. Instituto received four yellow cards (Gastón Lodico, Luca Rafaelli, Giuliano Cerato, and Leonel Mosevich), while Unión had one (Marcelo Estigarribia). No red cards were issued.
Several substitutions occurred during the match. In the first half, Instituto replaced Jhon Córdoba with Luca Rafaelli at the 26th minute, and Unión substituted Alex Maizon Rodriguez with Valentín Fascendini at the 21st. In the second half, Instituto made changes such as Matias Fonseca for Gustavo Abregú and Juan Ignacio Méndez for Nicolás Guerra at the 20th, plus Alex Luna for Jeremías Lázaro at the 34th. Unión swapped Brahian Cuello for Bruno Pittón at the 30th and Julián Palacios for Augusto Solari at the 20th, and at halftime Instituto brought on Franco Jara for Agustín Bravo.
Prior to the game, Unión had three consecutive draws in their recent matches, including a 0-0 against San Lorenzo. Instituto had drawn their most recent game against San Lorenzo. In recent head-to-head history, the teams were even, with mixed results in meetings since 2023.
Unión will face Talleres on March 6 at 10:00 PM at the 15 de abril stadium, while Instituto will play E. (RC) on March 7 at 5:00 PM at the Antonio Candini Stadium in Río Cuarto.
