Copa Libertadores 2009: Nacional de Paraguay 4 – 2 River Plate

By: Christian | April 24th, 2009

The only way to fully express my feelings after last night’s 4-2 loss to Nacional de Paraguay in the Copa Libertadores is to avoid any kind hyperbole and simply let the facts speak for themselves. River Plate were eliminated by a team that were finished in the tournament, a team that had managed only 1 point in four games and had not recorded a single win.

And there’s more. Consider the ways River have been booted from the Copa in recent years. 2004: Lost on penalties to Boca in the semifinals. 2005: Lost again in the semis to São Paulo, game ending in crowd violence. 2006: Lost to Libertad in quarterfinals, again marred by crowd violence. 2007: Failed to make it out of the group stage, and included a loss to the “mighty” Caracas. 2008: Lost to a 9-man San Lorenzo after giving up a 2-goal lead at home. And now 2009. You can take your pick which was worse.

I could go on about how River, who were playing for everything, who needed a win but still would have had a chance with a draw, lost to a team with nothing to play for, but this is not about Nacional. I could complain about the referee, who awarded a non-existent penalty to Nacional five minutes after awarding River their own non-existent penalty that briefly game them the lead, and who harshly sent Diego Buonanotte off in the second half which effectively ended River’s night, but this is not about referees.

This is about the imposters who wear the River shirt but who have not earned it, who disgrace River’s storied history and disrespect their loyal fans. It’s about a meek coach, who is in way over his head, who does not have the stomach or huevo to compete in a prestigious tournament like the Copa Libertadores. This is about the mafioso club President who sits high above on his throne, counting the cash he steals from the institution, pulling the strings on all those below him too cowardly to stand up to his Godfather-type grip over the club.

So to the players who broke our hearts last night, not a one of you is worthy to wear la gloriosa. I don’t care about your name, be it Fabbiani, Falcao, or Gallardo. As the saying goes, the name on the front of the shirt is more important then the name on the back. To our coach Pipo Gorosito, win the league or finish dead last, you don’t belong here at River. Go see if Quilmes or Belgrano are hiring, because you aren’t the man to bring us our third Copa Libertadores.

And to you, Aguilar. To you, I give right back what you have dumped on us as the result of your thievery. One last place finish. Consecutive exits from the Copa, each more embarrassing then the last. Our inability to defeat Boca on their ground. Crap reinforcements like Santiago Salcedo or Sebastian Abreu. Oh, and I hear you’re bringing in Edgar Davids? Go ahead and keep him.

How long must we suffer through this? How long will we allow the gutless and the corrupt to drag the name of River Plate through the mud?

I say, no more. This era of this injustice done. We will always love River Plate, and we will never abandon it, win or lose. They can get relegated to La B and I’ll still be there with them, it doesn’t matter. My support for the shirt will never waiver. What I will not support, what I outright refuse to accept, is the charade that is taking place and that has no end in sight.

The club belongs to the fans. The time is now for us to reclaim it.

2009 Copa Libertadores, Group 3 – Game 5
Nacional de Paraguay 4 – 2 River Plate

Scoring Summary:
Radamel Falcao (RP), 43rd
Fabio Escobar (NdP), 48th
Jorge Núñez (NdP), 65th
Jorge Núñez (NdP), 78th
Marcelo Gallardo (RP), 81st

River Plate:
Mario Daniel Vega
Danilo Gerlo, Gustavo Cabral, Nicolás Sánchez
Paulo Ferrari, Oscar Ahumada, Nicolás Domingo, Rubens Sambueza
Diego Buonanotte
Radamel Falcao, Cristian Fabbiani

Substitutions:
Matías Abelairas for Domingo, 46th
Mauro Rosales for Sambueza, 68th
Marcelo Gallardo for Cabral, 69th

Highlights
Coming Soon