Last night’s loss to Godoy Cruz is still provoking feelings of rage and confusion. These feelings are not just mine, but of every River fan in the world. It was incredible to watch to the team lose so pathetically when River clearly dominated the match. Everything was in River’s favor last night, but Coach J.J. Lopez and his crew did poorly to defend the lead. Jonatan Maidana’s header in the first half was the only River goal of the night as the team endured a 1-2 loss to Godoy Cruz in the Monumental Stadium.
With the loss of Velez Sarsfield earlier in the day, River has the possibility of taking first place back in the standings. The chance to be back on top solely relied on the players; all they had to do was to defeat Godoy Cruz at home. When Jonatan Maidana put River in the lead, River did something that has been an annoying factor: defend the lead but not risk any attack. Seriously? Is that the strategy that Coach J.J. Lopez really wants for River? Another factor is the inefficiency of Erik Lamela. The youngster still lacks experience on the pitch, and he does poorly in finishing plays. In one play, he was one-on-one with Godoy Cruz’s goalkeeper. His first shot was blocked but it rebounded back to Lamela, and he poorly shot the ball outside an open net. Horrible.
Godoy Cruz did not do much to bounce back and tie the match. Out of the few counterattacks that reach Juan Pablo Carrizo, one of them resulted in a goal. Yes, one could blame the defense in letting Godoy Cruz maneuver their way into the goal area, but their goal was legit. At the 85th minute of the match, Godoy Cruz took the lead of a free kick that just happened to be deflected by Erik Lamela. Two goals that killed River’s chances of being in first place of the Torneo Clausura tournament.
Watch the goals below:
