A great win, a little too late. That is the best way to describe River’s victory last night against San Martin of Peru for the final group game of the Copa Santander Libertadores. Although there were no chances of advancing to the next round, River did manage to bring fans to the stadium. It was more support for the history and jersey of the club than for the players but it did make a difference on the pitch. With goals from Gustavo Bou, Rubens Sambueza, and Diego Barrado, River looked like the team everyone expected through out the whole tournament. A chilly night in Buenos Aires saw our beloved club exit the biggest international tournament in South America while our “cousins” advanced to the next round.
Through out the match, River covered all areas. San Martin was not the same team that River faced off against in the beginning of March. This allowed River to move freely through out the match .One area that I particularly was amazed at was River’s forwards. Two young promises from this year preseason, Gustavo Bou and Gustavo “Turtle” Fernandez, made an excellent presence. They were able to push the team towards San Martin goal area more aggressively than our current forwards in the starting line up. Maybe it wasn’t the pressure that the others had or the teams that the others faced, but it was clear that River does have a future in this area. The final whistle pushed River up spot into third place of the group and ended a disastrous campaign for this year’s tournament. Fans and staff alike were nostalgic, thinking back at 12-13 years when River won the Copa Libertadores and the Supercopa in front of a massive crowd of red and white. Long gone are those days, unfortunately.
What are River’s chances of qualifying for next year’s tournament? Well, chances are looking somewhat positive but River’s needs to win the local Clausura tournament to secure a sport without depending on any circumstance. If River finishes on top of the tournament, let’s say 2nd or 3rd place, then the chance to play next year is in doubt. It hurts me to be writing these words, especially when River is the biggest club in Argentina. There is going to be a lot of thinking, processing, and planning for the next international tournament taking place later this year, the Copa Nissan Sudamericana. If River intends on winning this tournament, then it should start getting its act together now. Not even the possible signing of Dutch player, Edgar Davids, can save this sinking ship but if River plays its cards right, anything is possible. Farewell Copa Libertadores, it will be another River-free event this year.
