Neither team was able to find the back of the net in an entertaining 0-0 draw. That keeps things the same as they were at the start of the day at the top of the table, with River as the sole undefeated team in the division. River made more of a case for three points than Instituto and played the last 20 minutes with a man advantage.
In a Mario Alberto Kempes stadium bursting at the seams with spectators, River and Instituto battled for first place of the B Nacional. The match would be up and down the field at times, with both teams seemingly on the verge of breaking the deadlock. Both defenses were up to the task today, and a point each was not the worst result for either team.
For River the brightest spots were Ezequiel Cirigliano and Carlos Sanchez. Both players made the midfield theirs, in effect isolating Instituto’s best weapon, youngster Paulo Dybala. On the other end of the spectrum, Fernando Cavenaghi probably would agree this was one of his weakest games of the season as he continually found himself struggling to keep possession of the ball and find space in attack. His best chance came on a shot across the front of the goal that Cavenaghi managed to get a knee to only to see the ball fire off the crossbar. With minutes to go in the first half, Cavenaghi found space just outside the box but his shot would drift wide and high.
The post would deny River in the second half as well. Andres Rios would see his shot go off the near post and later Keko Villalva caught the defense off guard but his shot would roll just wide of the far post. Late in the game Cavenaghi would pick up a yellow card for trying to punch the ball into the goal. This afternoon was not Fernando’s best and frustration was beginning to show. Shortly after, Almeyda would bring him off for Villalva.
Instituto also hit the woodwork in the second half, but for the most part they failed to threaten Chichizola’s goal. River’s defense started the game on shaky ground but resolved much better as the game wore on. With 20 minutes left the Cordobeses would be left with ten men when Facundo Erpen received his second yellow card.
With the man advantage, River pressed forward and played the last 10 minutes with everyone but the keeper in Instituto’s half. A non-call on Ocampos in the box denied River a dubious penalty, and Instuto bravely held on for the scoreless draw.
Splitting points in Cordoba is OK for River who will remain at the top of the table. A draw away from home against one of the top teams in the division is not an awful result, even if River came very close to getting the win. River will have a week off due to the Presidential elections in Argentina, and will return to action hosting Aldosivi (for their last home game at San Lorenzo) on the 29th. Almeyda will not be able to count on Ezequiel Cirigliano who was called up to the U-20 national team participating at the Panamerican Games in Mexico, but most likely will have Alejandro Dominguez back in the starting lineup.
