Clausura 2009 – Superclásico Edition: Boca Juniors 1 – 1 River Plate

By: Christian | April 21st, 2009

River Plate managed to come back from a goal down on a terrific Marcelo Gallardo free kick in the second half, but an absolutely shocking miss by Radamel Falcao would deny los millonarios a victory over Boca Juniors in Sunday’s 1-1 draw in the Superclásico.

Despite the anticipation leading up to this world famous fixture, Sunday’s game did not produce a Superclásico to remember, as both teams were average and prone to mistakes. With Boca essentially giving up on the league, it was River who would benefit most from a victory to keep pace with the league leaders and to keep their championship hopes alive.

The objective clear, Pipo Gorosito put out a very offensive squad, with Cristian Fabbiani and Falcao linking together as the two forwards in front of Gallardo, albeit in a 4-4-2 formation. It should have been a dream pairing but was instead a complete dud, with Falcao a non factor much of the first half, and Fabbiani once again having a horrible game. El Ogro, who was ridiculed by Boca fans regarding his weight, was consistently pushed off the ball, and he tracked back far too deep, as if he was unsure of his role on the pitch.

The second half began in much the same way as the first, with both sides failing to create any real chances and sloppy play leading to unnecessary fouls. But hearts would sink in the 59th minute when Martín Palermo unleashed a missile of a shot past an outstretched Mario Daniel Vega that would send the Bombonera into a frenzy. River were down a goal and needed a response. Quickly.

It would come at last, when Bou and Fabbiani were replaced by Diego Buonanotte and Mauro Rosales, respectively. (Fabbiani left the pitch, furious at his performance and kicking a chair in the sidelines, his best hit all afternoon).The tiny Buonanotte was knocked down just outside the penalty area, and Marcelo Gallardo, who was having a solid though not spectacular afternoon, stepped to take the free kick which be beautifully sent passed a diving Abbondanzieri. El Muñeco hushed the Bombonera and gave the few thousand River fans in attendance some hope that victory was within reach.

Not so fast. River would go on to prove that they still have different ways to break our hearts. Radamel Falcao had a golden opportunity to give River the lead in the 34th minute when he broke down the right on a counter, and had even beaten the Boca keeper who had come out from his line. All el Tigre needed to do was kick the ball into the net, but no! He pushed it wide, an embarrassing miss that would have but Boca away for good. Instead, River could only manage a 1-1 draw, failing to get a win against our most hated rivals, and doing little to improve our standing the league.

First, a shock: This was one of the best performances from River in some time. Yes, there were several lapses in defense where River struggled to clear the ball from danger, and offensively they were lacking even with their two best forwards playing side by side. But they looked much better maintaining possession, and their midfield, especially Oscar Ahumada, looked solid.

The bad news? If this is the best performance they could produce against Boca, then River are pretty much dead in the water. If you can’t bring yourself to win against a weak opponent (and believe me, Boca were crap), then you can pretty much say goodbye against beating quality opposition.

The Superclásico was ours. We didn’t play well, but we still had the opportunity to win, and our players failed when we needed them most. I suppose there may be some solace by our not losing, but was we all know, it’s the bosteros who celebrate draws, not River Plate. We celebrate victories. Once our players wake up and realize this, maybe we can celebrate even more.

2009 Clausura Fixture 10
Boca Juniors 1 – 1 River Plate

Scoring Summary:
Martín Palermo (BJ), 59th
Marcelo Gallardo (RP), 68th

River Plate:
Mario Daniel Vega
Paulo Ferrari, Gustavo Cabral, Nicolás Sánchez, Cristian Villagra
Gustavo Bou, Oscar Ahumada, Nicolás Domingo, Marcelo Gallardo
Radamel Falcao, Cristian Fabbiani

Substitutions:
Diego Buonanotte for Bou, 65th
Mauro Rosales for Fabbiani, 66th
Matías Abelairas for Gallardo, 79th

Highlights