Last night’s victory against San Lorenzo was exactly what River needed to boost the morale within the team. After partial ties with previous teams, River needed to win urgently and what better time than at home. San Lorenzo has been one of the teams that have challenged River in everything in the past few years. To top it off, they came with River’s former coach, Diego Simeone. Fortunately, they left the Monumental Stadium empty-handed and with more doubts within their personal organization.
River started the match with the return of Matias Almeyda to the starting line-up, and Marcelo Gallardo with his second-straight match. The pressure to win at home was immense, and the players felt first hand. Support from all sides of the stadium could be felt tremendously, giving a certain aura to the pitch. During the first half, River struggled to find its forwards. Matias Abelairas and Oscar Ahumada did an excellent job covering the midfield, but they could not reach the forwards clearly. A few lobbies from the sides of the pitch produced close headers, but they were quickly off target. Something was missing to finalize the play. San Lorenzo maintained there stance on the pitch and covered well, seldom going for a counter attack although they took risks in certain situations.
The second half became a bit more aggressive on both ends. Matias Almeyda earned his first yellow card (let me remind you that he just returned from serving a double-yellow suspension), and was replaced by Facundo Affranchino. By coincidence, this substitution was a great tactical move by Coach Leonardo Astrada. In the 28th minute, Affranchino broke away from San Lorenzo’s defenders and kicked a powerful shot past the goalie. With the lead, River went to full force. Many chances were missed to score the second goal, but it was enough to secure the victory. With the crowd fully pumped and cheering, the atmosphere in the Monumental Stadium was ecstatic. The second win after so many chances was the dose to cure this emotional sickness that has affected River’s performances, and hopefully it will carry over against Independiente on Sunday.,
