With a “tiger” loose on the pitch, River demonstrated a great game against San Lorenzo on Wednesday night in northern city of Salta. Ever since the elimination of River in the Copa Santander Libertadores at the hands of San Lorenzo, there has been a heated environment between the two clubs. The last match of this preseason tournament would determine who was in last place, a position well known for River from the Apertura. The match showed great play making on both ends but it got a bit out of control as pushing and fouls became a staple of the match.
From the beginning of the match, San Lorenzo had a violent attitude with River. Fouls started to appear left and right, particularly towards Radamel Falcao. Although this benefited River with maintaining possession of the ball, it proved unsuccessful. At the 8th minute of the match, Jonathan Botinelli put San Lorenzo on top off a header. With a stadium mostly in favor of River, the atmosphere turned quiet and fans were in for a quick rude awakening. This mood would soon go away at a minute later as Radamel Falcao tied the match off a penalty shot. The game all tied up, both sides looked to find open errors to execute counterattacks. Game play was starting to be fierce on the pitch as both midfield sections were in control of the match. With a determined River pushing up along the pitch, Martin Galmarini scored his first goal off an excellent center pass from Falcao. Unfortunately, the lead would only last awhile as San Lorenzo tied right before halftime.
The match eventually ended at a tie, with both sides arguing with each other. The only mediator on the pitch was the ref and he hardly did anything to control the players. Once again, Radamel Falcao was the target of the opposing team as he received numerous fouls. Since the beginning of the year, the Colombian striker has worked his tail during preseason training and his efforts have been shown on the pitch. If he happens to get injured, River will be in a serious predicament. In the past, River has complained in many occasions on the treatment of its players from opposing teams. A.F.A. has done nothing to stop this kind of violence and it is only a matter of time before something serious happens. On a final note, Radamel was quoted saying “I always score against them.”
