It could have been worse, ladies and gentlemen. With Independiente defeating River by a 2-0 result, the Millonarios could not keep the positive momentum going after the win against San Lorenzo. Something happened during the 2 day break that totally left River dumbfounded on the pitch. With goals from Dario Gandin and Nestor Silvera, Independiente took first place in the tournament standings, defeated River in their new ‘Libertadores’ Stadium, and ruined River’s 3,000th match since its foundation as a club.
It was an interesting first half because River went all out against Independiente. River pushed forward in many circumstances; almost scoring after a few minutes from the start. Slowly, but surely, River began to lose its ground. Matias Abelairas and Oscar Ahumada lost control of the midfield, their errors paved way for the first goal. Dario Gandin managed to slip past the midfield, ridicule the defense, and blast a shot past Daniel Vega. From this moment forward, River could not bounce back. River’s forwards, Rogelio Funes Mori and Gustavo Canales had a few breakaway shots that resulted nowhere, except one disallowed goal that was called offside. Unfortunately, things got worse in the second half.
Independiente went full force against a desperate River. The best comparison to River’s defense last night could be swiss cheese. Independiente’s forwards had no problem passing through and creating situations, which eventually led to their second and final goal. Coach Leonardo Astrada looked on as his team failed him miserably and made the club, once again, the butt of all jokes. Let it be known that Independiente had three ex-River players on the pitch: Coach Americo Gallego, Lucas Mareque, and Eduardo Tuzzio. These three representatives of the rival team cannot be attacked in any shape or form as they did their job well against a weak River.
Many could say that Independiente’s ‘bitter’ attitude surely infected River’s squad, forcing the Millonarios to lose another classic game. The truth of the matter is, is that River dominates all encounters against Independiente with numerous wins over losses but at the rate River is going, things could turn around.
