Over the past few days, River has had controversy in every corner. It all started Sunday night when River faced off against Lanus for the 2009 Clausura tournament. In the beginning of the match there were many flags dedicated to the players. All sorts of flags were displayed, with harsh flags such as “history’s worst defense” and “out of three goalkeepers, we can’t make one” making their debut. Of course, these actions do not help the player’s self-esteem but encourages them to perform better on the pitch. With a packed stadium observing River’s last opportunity to have a chance at the tournament, expectations were high. Lanus, which has been playing good football in the local scene, wanted to remain in second place. Who knew that ninety minutes later, things would go from bad to worse.
Making his return to the Monumental stadium was Jose Sand, former River player under then-coach Leonardo Astrada. Sand has been Lanus’s front man for a couple of years and has clearly demonstrated to be the team’s best player. His fortunate luck in scoring goals has kept him as the tournament’s leading goal scorer and his team’s position in the standings proves this. Under tremendous insults from every corner, he quietly made his way to the pitch with a sweet taste of revenge on the back of his mind. River started the first half on good track, especially maintaining its composure on midfield. This resulted in River’s early goal of the match scored by Radamel Falcao at the 6th minute. As River celebrated an early goal, it seemed that the match would be under control. For the rest of the half, this remained true and River had several chances to add to the score. River captain, Oscar Ahumada, was solid in his position but it was noticeable that he was hurting. Coach Nestor Gorosito was forced to keep an eye out on him and he would make a decision during halftime.
In the commencement of the second half Nicolas Domingo replaced Oscar Ahumada, a substitution that fans and staff agreed. As River readjusted itself on the pitch, the unimaginable but foreseeable event happened. Jose Sand tied the match at the 2nd minute of the second half off a break-away and his celebration ignited further resentment towards him. He decided to grab and show Lanus’s jersey to River’s main crowd and kiss the Lanus logo, an act that an ex-River player should not make. Nonetheless, he provoked something inside the pitch and River was never able to recover from it. At this point, River’s defense again became full of holes and Lanus had various chances to score. Fortunately, River goalkeeper, Mario Daniel Vega, played a great game and stopped these chances. As time ticked away, River became desperate. Not even the return of Marcelo Gallardo and Cristian Fabbiani sparked a comeback and the game slowly ended on a tie. As jeers and loud whistles aimed at River’s players got heavy, many of the flags started to make a point. Reality hurts for a lost River.
