River never was able to get their game going and seemed a step slow the entire match. A goal against the run of play by Fernando Cavenaghi looked to be enough only to have a last minute equalizer end things 1-1.
From the first minute it seemed River was doing more chasing than playing. The start of the game saw a more aggressive Quilmes nearly take the lead on a shot that hit the crossbar. It is quite clear River is lost when Carlos Sanchez and Martin Aguirre are closed down, and that was exactly what Quilmes had in mind as they shut down River’s midfield early on. Nicolas Domingo suffered the most (until he got substituted for by Cristian Ledesma) as the team found it difficult to hold possession or find outlets when they did recover the ball.
Despite the early attempts, Quilmes’ attack didn’t have teeth and it seemed like the first half would finish scoreless. That is until Aguirre sprang Cavenaghi loose into the box and Cavegol thundered home his first goal in his return to River. To be clear, River had done little to deserve the advantage, but as has been evident this season, there are skilled players on this team that can turn a result around in a matter of seconds.
The lack of collective play continued in the second half with only the occasional appearances from Alejandro Dominguez giving River hope for a second goal. El Chori was determined to win the battle against the Quilmes fans who as expected jeered every time he touched the ball. Dominguez had a few close chances, but River remained incapable of closing out the game. As the match drew on, space opened up and the game ran end to end with both teams looking likely to score.
As time was running out, and after the referee Lunati had added extra time for Ledesma’s bloody clash with Telechea, Quilmes won a corner to the left of Chichizola. Injury time was only a minute old when the corner came into the box and the same player, Telechea, headed home the equalizer.
The draw was the fairest result with River having to now worry about finding it’s winning ways after a second straight game where the team showed an alarming lack of creativity and control. Almeyda also will have to worry about the injury to Luciano Abecasis who was substituted early in the first half. Next up is another game behind closed doors at Huracan against Defensa y Justicia.
