Ladies and gentlemen, the 2009 Clausura tournament has officially started and I am proud to say that River has started the tournament on the right foot despite the end result. Although River finished in last place during the last tournament, it continued to have tremendous support from its fans. With almost a full crowd in the Monumental Stadium, the pressure was on for a win. Before the match commenced, River’s two new acquisitions made their presentation on the field. Marcelo Gallardo and Cristian Fabbiani waved at the crowd and wore River’s jersey with an interesting slogan across the chest which stated “For the love of the colors”. This phrase was an appropriate theme for the unconditional love the supports give each and every game. As the match came to a start, the ambience of the stadium was on full swing.
River had an excellent first half against Colon de Santa Fe. It dominated in all areas and had numerous chances to score. As opposed to last season’s image, this new River was determined to score right away. A player that shocked everyone with his resurrection was Diego Buonanotte. The young star was criticized last season for his lack of performance and his lack of leadership despite his young age. Well, he definitely proved his critics wrong and along with Radamel Falcao, the two wore Colon’s defense out. Towards the end of the first half, both teams were ready for a break and tactical refreshment. With the control of the match easily achieved, it was only a matter of time until the first goal of the match arrived. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be until the second half.
During the second half, River once again took control of the match. At the 11th minute of the match, Gustavo Cabral put River ahead with a header. The crowd exploded in the stands and River finally gave the fans a much needed partial victory. With fantastic playmaking left and right, Colon could not find its balance. River took full advantage of it and in the 23rd minute, Radamel Falcao scored River second goal of the match. Astonished with River’s new style, coach Nestor Gorosito was ecstatic with the result and one could smell victory just minutes away. Well, everybody spoke to soon it seems. River got way to confident and started to lose possession quickly in the midfield of the pitch. This forced River to lose focus and in the 32nd minute, Colon pulled one back and the game was now 2-1. As the final minutes approached, River was still trying to recoup from the goal. Only one minute separated the Millonarios from victory but Colon suddenly silenced the stadium with a spectacular goal. The final whistle was blown and the game resulted in a tie.
From every corner one could hear anger and pain as River let the game slip away. “Ortega! Ortega!” was heard left and right, which once again made its presence. The positive side was that River did play a fantastic match and erased doubt about how they would play. The next match for River is against Nacional of Paraguay on the 12th for the initial start of the 2009 Copa Santander Libertadores.
