River draws with Velez Sarsfield, stays undefeated

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Defending champion River Plate drew 1-1 with Velez Sarsfield to remain unbeaten and retain the Argentine first division lead after the 15th round Sunday..

Milton Caraglio opened the scoring for Velez Sarsfield with a powerful header in the 18th minute, but Gabriel Mercado equalized in the 38th with a low shot from the edge of the area and River held on for the draw.

Emmanuel Gigliotti scored two second half goals to hand Boca Juniors a 2-0 win over to moved them into fifth place.

Gigliotti opened in the 71st with a tap-in after collecting the rebound from his blocked penalty kick, and he doubled the lead with a deflected strike in the 83rd.

Also Sunday, Ezequiel Cerutti scored a chipped shot from outside of the area in the 28th minute as Estudiantes beat Rosario Central 1-0, while Banfield lost 1-0 to third-placed Racing Club after a Gustavo Bou goal in the 7th.

On Saturday, Godoy Cruz beat Atletico Rafaela 4-3, Olimpo defeated Quilmes 2-1, Belgrano thrashed Defensa y justicia 3-0 and Independiente secured a 1-0 victory against Gimnasia la Plata.

Second place Lanus are a point behind River Plate after beating Arsenal 3-2 on Friday.

The final game of the 15th round will be played Monday, when Newell's Old Boys play San Lorenzo.