Argentina I Division

First Division in its first ‘European’ season: there were 2 final tables. The one, existing for awhile already was the 3-year relegation table – the last in it was directly relegated and the next to last went to the Octogonal tournament. Eventually, Huracan lost the promotion-relegation tournament and went down as well, joining Chacarita Juniors, the last in the relegation table, in the new Second Division.

Chacarita Juniors (Buenos Aires – General San Martin) was last in the real championship table as well with 21 points.

Atletico Racing (Cordoba) – 18th with 26 points.

Platense (Vicente Lopez) – 17th with 27 points.

Estudiantes (La Plata) – 16th with 27 points.

Temperley (Temperley) – 15th with 29 points.

Union (Santa Fe) – 14th with 31 points.

Huracan (Buenos Aires) – 13th with 32 points, but they were 18th in the relegation table, lost the Octogonal final, and were relegated.

Velez Sarsfield (Buenos Aires) – 12th with 34 points

nstituto (Cordoba) – 11th with 35 points.

Gimnasia y Esgrima (La Plata) – 10th with 36 points.

Independiente (Avellaneda) – 9th with 36 points.

Talleres (Cordoba) – 8th with 37 points.

San Lorenzo (Buenos Aires) – 7th with 40 points. With young and yet unknown Chilavert between the goalposts.

Ferro Carril Oeste (Buenos Aires) – 6th with 40 points.

Boca Juniors (Buenos Aires) – 5th with 41 points.

Argentinos Juniors (Buenos Aires) – 4th with 44 points.

Deportivo Espanol (Buenos Aires) – 3rd with 46 points. There best season so far. Standing from left: Carlos Martínez, Juan C. Segovia, Guillermo Zárate, Osvaldo Scigliano, Pedro Catalano, Luis Correa.
First row: Lorenzo Ojeda, Mario Cariaga, Claudio Nigretti, José L. Rodríguez, Daniel F. Andrada (Uruguayan).

Newell’s Old Boys (Rosraio) – 2nd with 46 points. Strong season, but ending on a bitter note, for they failed to win the second Libertadors spot, losing to Boca Juniors.

River Plate (Buenos Aires) – they had splendid season and won the league, leaving Newell’s Old Boys 10 points behind. 23 wins,10 ties, only 3 losses, 74- 26 goal-difference, 56 points. Naturally, River Plate had the best defensive record in the championship, but their scoring record was much more impressive: goals were getting difficult to score in last years and only 2 teams scored more than 50 goals this season. Boca Juniors scored 57 – 1.58 goal-average. River Plate achieved 2.05 goal-average – the only team reaching 2 goals-per-game. The squad was splendid, some of the boys were going to be world champions just in a month or two, but River Plate also supplied Uruguay with 3 players for the 1986 World Cup. Alonso and Gallego had their laurels from the past. Hector ‘el Bambino’ Veira did excellent job as daring coach, who had some risky ideas, but they worked. Of course, having this kind of squad helped applying risky ideas. There was more than domestic title in 1986, something much more important, but it was yet to come.