Nightmare. Embarrassment. Hatred. Deception. Anger. These are a few words of the feelings I have now hours after the game has ended. Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you that River has been eliminated from the Copa Santander Libertadores in the group stage, bringing back another nightmare from the 2007 edition. River needed to win against Nacional of Paraguay in said country, although a tie would have been a beneficial as well. River embarked from Buenos Aires a few days ago with this knowledge but it seems that the suits that the team was wearing were too tight around the neck for them to understand. Last night, River was defeated by the last-place team of the group with a score of 4-2. Needless to say, it was not pretty.
The majority of the first half was in River’s favor. There is a phrase that is very common in Argentine football and it is “Missed goals results in received goals”. Well, this phrase basically summed up what happened later in the game. So many missed chances by Cristian Fabbiani put extra stress on the Millonarios. Additionally, Redamel Falcao put all his effort to score but nothing occurred. With the game 0-0 and half-time approaching, the players knew that time was running out. Luck happened to fall minutes before the whistle as River was awarded a penalty which was taken by Radamel Falcao. In the lead, things looked positive for the Millonarios but an unlucky foul gave Nacional a penalty soon after. Nacional did not let this chance slip and tied the game. As both teams made their way to the locker room, I began to think of the inevitable. I did not want to think negative as my love for the club denies this trait but I was worried.
With the commencement of the second half, I was confident that River would score right away. Once again, River was attacking full-throttle, creating chances to score a goal but that last essential step was not there. All of sudden, a major event occurred that changed the layout of the game. Diego Buonanotte, who is usually mild-tempered, got sent off after a harsh attack against a Nacional defender. This factor made River change tactics and organize itself on the pitch .At the 20th minute of this half, Nacional silenced the traveling River fans with a spectacular goal. Now the challenge was even tougher as a loss would eliminate River from the tournament. Coach Nestor Gorosito decided to put in Marcelo Gallardo at the 24th minute to bring some experience on the pitch. My question is this: Why wait until the second half to bring him in? River’s hopes got even worse as Nacional scored their third goal at the 28th minute and then a fourth in the 33rd minute. With the score 4-1, I decided to stop watching the match. I could not take it no more. Marcelo Gallardo’s goal with gave River their second of the match did not phase me. I knew River was out at this point and did not want to get hurt more. On thing though, the referee and his staff were horrible and they had a lot to do with tonight’s result.
The pressure from the stands where River fans were located became harsh. Many insults were taken out on the players, staff, and most importantly the president of the club, Jose Maria Aguilar. Of course, we must now face harsh criticism from the media, Boca fans, and all the other groups who attack our beloved club. The attention of River now is to win the Torneo Clausura and qualify for next year’s Copa Santander Libertadores. It is going to be a rough week, or even weeks, for River. As a supporter, it hurts but I will continue to support my team, my passion, regardless of the situation.
