After the loss against Estudiantes in the previous week, Coach Cappa’s men were handed an unfortunate loss despite the great performance on the pitch. Last night’s game against Velez Sarsfield would be a great opportunity to grab a win against one of the strongest teams in the league. In addition, there were some positive factors that would help the team’s morale such as Ariel Ortega being include in the Argentine national team, the great recovery by Diego Buonanotte, and the tremendous support by River fans despite the club’s current situation. Nonetheless, River managed a great win over Velez in the Monumental Stadium and it brought flashbacks of past glorious moments.
Right from the start, River was aggressively looking for the win. Battling Velez in every sector, River managed to grab possession from various points on the pitch. Unfortunately, on the 8th minute of the first half, Velez dropped a ‘cold bucket of water’ on everyone by scoring the first goal of the match. Despite their early lead, the support of the crowd was intense and River’s players knew that they had to do more. Ariel Ortega became an integral player in developing most of the offensive plays. His precise passes and lobbies gave many opportunities to tie the match. Rogelio Funes Mori struggled to with his lack of definition, wasting away many chances. With the pressure, River was clearly letting Velez know that it was not backing down. Minutes before the end of the first half, Paulo Ferrari received a fantastic pass from Ariel Ortega and tied the match. Sighs of relief were clearly heard.
A little into the second half, River used the same offensive strategy to seek its second goal. Coach Angel Cappa was clearly doing things right on the pitch, and he did not hesitate to make any change until the time was right. Seeing Mauro Diaz struggle in the second half, Coach Cappa brought in Diego Buonanotte. Once again, the ‘Enano’ made a great difference. His fresh style and persistent attacks forced Velez to defend with the majority of their team. Along with Ortega, Buonanotte was on fire passing through Velez’s defenders. At the 36th minute of the second half, Buonanotte scored the winning goal and his first since recovering back from his injury. The emotions he had during his celebration was a clear indicator of his emotional recovery through out the year. Once again, the crowd was in content in seeing a new, fresh River on the pitch. The constant support of songs and chants elevated the mood in the Monumental Stadium, bringing a much needed positive energy into River.
