River Plate and Argentinos Juniors played a tense match this afternoon in the Monumental Stadium, but both teams finished the match a one point a piece with a 0-0 draw. This match was full of tension between the players, the coaching staff, and the referee but little was done in the scoring end. Both teams had ample chances of scoring, but were denied to do so in different circumstances. Coach J.J. Lopez Because of the draw, River lost the opportunity to extend its first place spot in the tournament standings but still remained in the top five.
It only took less than one minute for River to create its first attempt to score. Matias Almeyda, River’s most valuable player and captain, almost scored less than one minute into the match. He let Argentinos Juniors that this match was not going to be easy, and that many more dangerous situations would occur. Throughout the first half, there began to be a lot of pressure in the midfield as both teams were getting closer to score. For River, goalkeeper Leandro Chichizola was the main person responsible in clearing any dangerous shots away from the goal area. He has yet been scored upon from the start of this tournament and he is showing on why. On the other hand, one player let his frustration get to him: Paulo Ferrari. His negative reaction from a slap initiated from the rival team caused him to see the red card; as so did coach J.J. Lopez who was ejected from the match after complaining to the referee about the incident. If there was any compensation, the Argentinos Juniors player was ejected for initiating the scuffle.
In the second half, Mariano Pavone was River’s main factor in the attack. He constantly fought mini-battles with all the defenders around him but he was outnumbers many times. I fully support Mariano Pavone as he is a great player, but he cannot do it alone. The team lacks another power-forward to accompany Pavone because it is obvious that one forward is not enough. The return of River’s other forward, Rogelio Funes Mori, is weeks away as he is still recovering from his injury. Diego Buonanotte entered the match replacing Manuel Lanzini, causing River’s dynamics to change for the better but it was not enough to win the match. With this draw, River is left with 8 points and in third place behind Estudiantes and Racing Club.
