Clausura 2010: River Plate 0 – 1 Banfield
By: Christian |
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Apparently Boca was worse than we thought.
Expectations of seeing a new and improved River came crashing back to earth Sunday afternoon after a 1-0 loss to Banfield to kickoff the 2010 Clausura. Signs of the River that outplayed Boca last week were absent in a boring, lifeless performance by los millonarios that was reminiscent of the days under Pipo Gorositio, and served as a reminder that there is much work to be done before this team can be considered a contender.
Banfield looked every bit like the side that won the ‘09 Apertura, outmatching River in nearly every position; only key saves from keeper Daniel Vega prevented a blow-out. Instead, el taladro scored just once in the 74th minute, more than enough to hand River their first loss of the season.
Copa Revancha 2010: River Plate 1(3) – 1(1) Boca Juniors
By: Christian | 1 Comment
Daniel Vega saved two penalties to lead River Plate to another win over Boca Juniors in the Copa Revancha Sunday evening in Mendoza. The game was forced into penalties after both teams ended the 90 minutes of regular time even at 1-1, and with Boca only converting one penalty to River’s three, los millonarios won their second Superclásico of the year.
River were not as dominant Sunday night as they were last week when they decimated Boca in that 3-1 victory in Mar del Plata (a win that ultimately led their coach Alfio Basile to resign), but they still produced a strong performance. They fell behind however in the first half off a Lucas Viatri header that caught Vega off guard. Boca, no doubt still reeling after last week’s loss, gave River more trouble in the midfield, and they shut down most offensive attacks.
In the second half River would respond from a Gustavo Bou strike to level the score. Bou has not exactly impressed in his time with the senior team, but his shot past keeper Boca keeper Roberto Abbondanzieri was a quality finish. With the exception of a Ariel Ortega shot on goal later in the half, neither team had any real opportunity to win the match, and after 90 minutes the one-game tournament went to penalties to decide a winner.
It would not be much of a contest. Boca would only make their first penalty before having the next blocked by Vega, and a third that sailed over the crossbar. Matías Abelairas, Gonzalo Ludueña, Rogelio Funes Mori would all convert their penalties, and Paulo Ferrari could have put the game away but his effort hit the frame. It would not matter, as Vega blocked the next penalty, giving River another deserved victory.
There can be no better motivation going into a brand new campaign this weekend then with back-to-back wins over our rivals. A renewed sense of optimism has come back to the club, and with a new manager and president, the slate has been wiped clean. After two wins against Boca though, can we say that River are now legitimate contenders for the Clausura? I think if they continue to show the determination we’ve seen the past week, they will not only improve, but they’ll be able to take on any team in the Primera. They will need to remain focused on the prize at all times, but if their winning ways continue, their rivals should take caution: River Plate are back.
It all begins this Sunday against Banfield. Stay tuned.
Highlights:
Category: Team NewsCopa Desafío 2010: River Plate 3 – 1 Boca Juniors
By: Christian | 1 Comment
River Plate earned an impressive 3-1 victory over Boca Juniors Wednesday night in the first of two pre-season Superclásicos. La banda produced one of their most complete and exciting performances in recent memory, and treated the thousands of fans who made the trek to Mar del Plata to a masterful display reminiscent of the River of old.
There were early signs that River were up for the match when they went ahead in only the 4th minute thanks to a Rodrigo Rojas goal. The Paraguayan, recently signed on a one-year loan from Olimpia, made a run towards goal and shot the ball past a diving Roberto Abbondanzieri to give River the lead. From there, the squad struggled for the remainder of the half to keep possession, as Boca equalized off a Martín Palermo header.
Category: Team NewsRiver Face Boca Tonight in Pre-Season Superclásico
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Summer tournaments may not mean much, but when it’s the Superclásico, a win means everything. River Plate will have the chance to go one up against their hated rivals Boca tonight in the first of two matches (the second will take place on Sunday). You can watch the game live on Fox Sports Español at 8PM ET/5PM PT.
River Plate could certainly use a win to boost their confidence following successive losses to Racing and Independiente in the Torneo de Verano.
Look for a match report on the game tomorrow.
Highlights – Torneo de Verano
River Plate 2 – 3 Independiente
Category: Team NewsTorneo de Verano 2010 – River Plate 1 – 2 Racing Club
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River Plate began 2010 with a 1-2 loss to Racing Club in the Torneo de Verano. Diego Barrado scored the lone goal for los millonarios.
It would be premature to jump to any conclusions after only one game, especially the first of four pre-season games. This was far from a full strenth squad, and many of the players who took to the pitch last night might not even be in Leo Astrada’s plans for the Clausura.
Still, it was easy to spot the weaknesses. Poor Nicolás Navarro had a night to forget in goal, being caught out of position twice for both Racing goals, and conceding the first in such a bizarre fashion that even the goal-scorer was caught off guard. What started as a cross that should have been easily punched out of bounds instead flew over Navarro’s head into goal. It was a rookie mistake that is forgivable in an essentially meaningless game, but coupled with the second goal, which Navarro was also slow to react on, it certainly did not help his cause for a starting position over Mario Vega.
Another problem last night was the poor quality of the set pieces. I stopped counting the number of crosses and free kicks that failed to reach a single River player, or just fly into the stands. Even with last night’s squad lack of height, the service should have been more on target.
Let’s call it what it was: a young squad trying hard to impress and making more than one mistake doing so. They’ll get a second chance against Independiente this Sunday before back-to-back matches against Boca, two pre-seasons matches that do count.
Highlights:
Category: Team NewsRiver Plate 2010: A New Year Brings New Hope For Fans
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The members of the Filial Daniel Alberto Passarella in Israel celebrate the new year.
A new year is upon us yet again, and with it comes renewed expectations for our beloved River Plate. 2009 was a year to forget, but all that is behind us now as we set our sights towards a successful 2010.
With River missing out on this year’s edition of the Copa Libertadores, Leo Astrada’s squad will instead put all their efforts into winning the upcoming Clausura campaign, wth the first match against champions Banfield on January 31st, and beating Boca in the Superclásico. Hopefully by the end of the month we will get a better sense as to the strength of the new squad, any new reinforcements, and most importantly, the health of Diego Buonanotte.
For those who can’t wait until then, River will take place in the annual Torneo De Verano triangular against Racing and Independiente beginning next Thursday, followed by two successive matches against Boca.
Torneo de Verano 2010 Fixture List
Triangular de Salta
Match 1: Racing v Independiente – 01/11*
Match 2: River v Loser btw Racing/Independiente – 01/14
Match 3: River v Winner btw Racing/Independiente – 01/17
*In the event of a draw, River would play Racing.
Copa Desafío-Mardel
River v Boca – 01/20
Copa Revancha Mendoza
River v Boca – 01/24
Ringing in the New Year in Israel
Our friends over at the Filial Daniel Alberto Passarella in Israel capped off a successful 2009 at an Argentine-style parrilla restaurant last month (thanks to filial President Martin Yona for providing me with the above picture). Gathering over a feast of sweatbreads and bifes de chorizo, the group celebrated the New Year with a raffle of River products.
The filial had a prosperous 2009: they saw their namesake Daniel Passarella voted President of the Club, they began their own internet talk show Tierra Santa Monumental, all while seeing their membership grow to nearly 500. The group also debuted the new shield for the filial, shown below.
You can read my original post on the filial here, and read about Daniel Passarella’s visit to Israel here.
Fuerza Enano: Diego Buonanotte Injured In Deadly Car Crash
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River Plate midfielder Diego Buonanotte is in stable condition today after suffering serious injuries in a car crash Saturday morning that killed three.
Buonanotte was driving to his home town of Teodelina after a night out with friends when he lost control of his Peugeot 307 and slammed into a tree. Three passengers, Gerardo Suñé, Alexis Fulcheri, and Emanuel Melo, friends of Buonanotte since childhood, died at the scene from their injuries. Buonanotte was taken to a nearby hospital with a fractured humerus and clavicle, and most seriously, a pulmonary contusion. He was later airlifted to a hospital in Buenos Aires where he is currently being treated by physicians and psychologists. Reportedly, has not yet been informed as to the deaths of his friends.
It is not known for sure if alcohol played a role in the crash. Buonanotte was wearing his seat belt, which almost certainly saved his life.
The 21-year old Buonanotte, known as enano, or dwarf for his diminutive size, has been one of the most highly rated players to emerge from Argentina in recent years. A product of the River youth academy, he helped the club to win the 2008 Clausura, scoring twice against Olimpo in the penultimate match of the season that secured the title. Recently, he was River’s leading goal scorer for the 2009 Apertura with 8 goals. With Argentina, he was in the squad that won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, scoring a goal against Serbia. He had recently been linked with moves to Atlético Madrid and Sunderland.
The River Plate Offside speaks for all millonarios worldwide in wishing Diego a quick and speedy recovery. Fuerza Enano.
Category: Team NewsRiver Plate End Season With Rare Back-To-Back Wins
By: Christian | 1 Comment
La banda finished a disappointing 2009 Apertura on a somewhat high note Sunday evening, defeating Tigre 2-0 away in their final league fixture of the year. After last Thursday’s 2-0 win over Racing, yesterday’s result marked the first time all season that River have won two games in a row.
It’s ironic that River would find consistency only at the end of a season that saw them crash out of every competition they were involved in, including qualifying for next year’s Copa Libertadores.
So why the sudden rise in form? Some are calling it the Passarella factor, with the election of El Kaiser instilling some renewed confidence with the club and its players. The competition was far from top-notch; Racing have been in and out of the relegation zone for some time, and Tigre finished dead last in the table. But there was a time this season when opponents like these would give River trouble, so to see them post two consecutive shut-outs was a welcome change.
And so River head into 2010 hoping to put a dreadful year behind them and seeking a fresh start with a new President, and with Leo Astrada, who will remain as manager. The River Plate Offside meanwhile will continue to track all off-season news for the team and report and any significant developments.
Highlights:
River Plate 2 – 0 Racing Club
Tige 0 – 2 River Plate
Daniel Passarella Elected Club President
By: Christian | 2 Comments
River Plate socios went to the polls this past Saturday and elected legend Daniel Passarella, the former defender and manager for la banda, as the club’s new President. He will succeed José María Aguilar after his 8-year term came to an end this month.
El Kaiser rose to fame as a defender in the late 70’s when he led River to 4 domestic titles. He captained the 1978 World Cup winning side that defeated Holland at the Monumental, and is the only Argentine to be on two, World Cup winning teams. As a manager he again found success with River, winning three titles in the early 90’s, and managed Argentina in the 1998 World Cup. He had a second, less successful stint with River from 2006-2007.
The election has not come without controversy however, and in fact could be reversed if Rodolfo D’Onofrio, the runner-up to Pasarella, has his way. D’Onofrio, one of the 5 candidates vying for the presidency, was originally announced the winner after receiving 5,289 votes, only two more than Passarella. A recount was ordered, during which the Electoral Board found discrepancies with some ballots that had the name “Frassarella,” which Passarella claimed was proof that one of his rivals had put in the fraudulent ballots to trick some socios into voting for the wrong candidate. After the recount the lead reverted, this time with a 6 vote difference. Passarella claimed victory, D’Onofrio cried fraud, and legal action appears likely. Though Daniel has already met with Aguilar to ease in his transition as the new President of River, he has not been officially sworn in, and if the results are indeed contested in the courts, the club could head into the new year without a new President.
Assuming that doesn’t happen and the results stand, what is the River Plate Offside’s opinion of Daniel Passarella, President? Right now, little. Actions and results speak louder than words, and Passarella, who has no experience in club administration that I can think of, has said nothing to convince me that real change is on the way. If we’ve learned anything from the Diego Maradona experiment currently going on with Argentina, it’s that you can’t simply install a great player in a role they have little to no experience with and expect instant results. Maradona hasn’t found the same success as a manager as he did as a player, and despite having some of the best players in the world like Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi at his disposal; can we really expect much different from Passarella, who is inheriting a team with not even one-fifth the talent?
For now, we will give him the benefit of the doubt. He is following what is considered the worst presidency in the history of the club, so his term can only signal the start of a new, clean slate for the team. He swears his allegiance to River and claims to have earned our trust; in his words, “I’ve lied to my mother, I’ve lied to my wife, but I’ve never lied to River!” Not enough for me yet, but like I said, it’s a start.
Category: Team NewsTiros Libres: Taking Time Off To Reflect
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River Plate Offside will be taking the rest of the week off for the Thanksgiving break and will not return until the first week of December. Hopefully by then I can have more information on the upcoming Presidential elections.
As far as the team are concerned, they drew 1-1 to Godoy Cruz this past Sunday, with Mauro Rosales scoring for los millonarios. The host Estudiantes this weekend.
Until next time, un abrazo millonario!
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