Overview

• Ángel Di María dismissed claims that Rosario Central receives help from the AFA, saying recent penalties were clear and that the team would be top if it were favored.
• He rejected suggestions of a special relationship with AFA president Claudio Tapia, saying he does not choose match days, and replied to Marcelo Gallardo that he has adapted well to the league’s increased physicality.
• Former international referee Saúl Laverni argued Di María’s free-kick vs. Newell’s should have been invalidated under Rule 13 due to an attacker’s proximity to the wall, asserting VAR did not intervene; the point remains contested.
• Rosario Central is unbeaten through six matches and sits sixth with 10 points after the clásico decided by Di María’s late strike.
• Separately, Barcelona is close to loaning goalkeeper Iñaki Peña to Elche after he extends his contract to 2029, with wage-sharing under discussion and official confirmation pending LaLiga’s green light to register Wojciech Szczesny.