River barely escaped with a draw against Arsenal, and things are starting look worse than expected. The look on Coach Leonardo Astrada’s eyes says it all: deception. Struggling to score has been the main issue with the team, and Marcel Gallardo took charge of scoring River’s only goal in the second half. Matias Almeyda was sent off after being double-booked while River’s youngsters are still lost on the pitch.
Having to win at the Monumental Stadium is important, especially since it is considered our home, but the players seem to forget that. Every local game brings thousands of fans to support the Millonarios, but they leave empty-handed most of the time. It is ridiculous to think that playing at home would be harder than playing as the visiting team. Let alone trying to score goals. River looked dull and clueless against their opponent, forcing many to believe than another year of anguish is approaching. Daniel Vega did a great job goalkeeping but River’s defense let one slide past him five minutes before the second half.
Marcelo Gallardo tied the match in the second half off a free kick at the start of the second half, but it came with a cost. With the game all tied up, River started to get more aggressive on the pitch but this caused Matias Almeyda to acquire his second yellow card. The referee took made an unfortunate call in booking the ‘Pelado’ since he did not touch his opponent, but the rules of football allow the ref to make the last call. Twice has a referee played against River, but this cannot be an excuse for a team that is failing itself.
The match closed on a tie, with tons of jeers and whistles against River. Fans are disappointed, management is disappointed, and the club’s history is slowly disappearing. What can be done to save River from a probable chance at playing in second division? Yes, the answer is wins, but goals are needed to make the ‘wins’ a reality. The future looks dim, almost pitch black.