Copa Sudamericana 2008: Chivas de Guadalajara 2 – 2 River Plate
By: Christian | November 6th, 2008
River Plate were eliminated from the Copa Sudamericana this evening after a 2-2 draw with Chivas de Guadalajara in Mexico left them down 4-3 on aggregate over the two leg series. Despite a thrilling match that saw a flurry of action, River were unable to hold on to their early lead that had they held, would have assured them a spot in the semifinals. Instead, River are out, and Diego Simeone’s future as head coach is in jeopardy amid rumors that he may soon step down.
River needed to come out early to erase the 2-1 deficit from the first leg in Buenos Aires, and the team responded by going up 2-0 in the first half thanks to goals from Cabral and Falcao. The team looked inspired and took advantage of a nervous Chivas side completely caught off guard. River dominated possession, controlled the pace of the game, and continued to push forward even though the 2-0 result was enough to see them through to the next round.
But an absolute howler from Abreu, who should have scored early in the second half, would come to haunt River. Similar to last year’s Copa Libertadores match against San Lorenzo, when River also lost 2-1 in the first leg, only to watch their 2-0 lead in the second leg erased in the span of 3 minutes, River would again concede two goals, this time in a span of 5 minutes, to seal their fate and end their chances of survival.
River would continue to press on, and the final 15 minutes of the game were some of the most intense I’ve seen yet, as los millonarios would continue to attack, but each time coming up short. Substitute Gustavo Bou would have the best chance, but his shot only a few feet from the keeper instead went hurling up into the stands.
River deserved better. They came for the win, had it in their hands, but let it slip away. They played intensely and with passion, but in the end, it was too little, too late. And so now, finally, River are truly done with the year. There will be no trophies, no celebrations, nothing. As for Diego Simeone, who was appropriately ejected from the game, he may have coached his last game with River (though the press is suggesting he may stick around for this Sunday’s match.)
Look for more on tonight’s game tomorrow when the disappointment will hopefully wear off.
Unbelievable.
2008 Copa Sudamericana, Quarterfinal – Game 2
Chivas de Guadalajara 2 – 2 River Plate
Scoring Summary:
Gustavo Cabral (RP), 2nd
Radamel Falcao (RP), 20th
Marco Fabián (CdG), 59th
Alberto Medina (CdG), 64th
River Plate:
Juan Marcelo Ojeda
Paulo Ferrari, Gustavo Cabral, Facundo Quiroga, Cristian Villagra
Augusto Fernández, Oscar Ahumada, Matías Abelairas, Diego Buonanotte
Radamel Falcao, Sebastián Abreu
Substitutions:
Gustavo Bou for Buonanotte, 61st
Rodrigo Archubi for Ferrari, 76th
Mauro Rosales for Fernández, 82th
Category: copa sudamericana
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Comments
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Here are my thoughts on this one.
Fuck. So sick of this shit.
Posted from
United States
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i dont know why no one gives chivas credit!!! they beat boca nasty before and now river, let the best team win and it did!!! two different styles of futbol and the mexican style won this battle.
Posted from
United States -
No one’s knocking Chivas. I thought they played a very smart first leg, which was ultimately our undoing, and last night they caught River off guard in the second half. That being said, they were very poor in the first half, and it wasn’t until the second half substitutions that they were able to fight back. That’s why River should have done more in the first 45.
It’s a sad indication of the a team that when they go 2-0 up I’m still nervous that they’ll blow it, and sure enough they did. The players just don’t beleive in themselves enough to hold onto a lead. That ultimately falls to Simeone. Whatever he said to them at the half wasn’t good enough.
Posted from
United States -
Nothing short of an overhaul is acceptable at this point, this team has too much of a loser mentality. Yes the talent is there (though in the case of the defense that’s debatable), yes this was not the disgrace that we saw against Boca (The Falcao-Abreu partnership at least can look dangerous), but River should not be afraid of their opponents like this.
Posted from
Canada -
Well, in my opinion, 2-0 is the most dangerous result in football. It’s enough of a lead to be happy about but too big that it’s not reachable by the opposing side. 2-0 can cause you to slow things up and make you believe that you’ve got things under control but it only takes one breakaway, one defensive blunder and you’re under the gun again.
And we don’t give Chivas credit because River ran them over in the first half and then fell apart in the second like they’ve done time and time again this season. Sorry, Chivas are a good side but have question marks at the back and are weak on crosses. Poor defending on both goals cost them the first half and the deficit could have been larger if a few more had gone in.
If River pressured them in the second half like they did in the first, I think we’d be looking at a different result today. But I’m aware of the toll that pressuring your opponent takes on the team in terms of fatigue so it might not have been possible.
Posted from
United States -
Looks like the expected just happened.
Simeone communicated to the club’s directors that on Sunday he’d be coaching his very last match with River. Not sure I feel the appropriate “good riddance” feeling about this.
Posted from
United States
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