The loss encapsulated all that was wrong with River Plate in 2009. Uninspiring, difficult to watch, and ultimately heart-breaking, made worse by the fact that River were facing a less than full strength Estudiantes squad, who rested key players ahead of the Copa Libertadaores final.

The result was such a dud, that even the lone goal from River by Diego Buonanotte will most likely be remembered as his last ever for the team, as his exit from the club over the summer seems certain. It seems that with this River, even when we score, we still end up losing. In every way possible.

So to review the final numbers – 19 games. A 7-6-6 record. 27 points. Eighth place. The number that still remains unknown is how long we will have to wait before we see a River to make us proud again.

NOTES: Rather than going on hiatus this summer, I’ll be writing more about the upcoming preidential elections, the upcoming friendlies in Canada, and reports from River fans across the globe.

2009 Clausura Fixture 19
River Plate 1 – 2 Estudiantes

Scoring Summary:
José Luis Calderón (ELP), 25th
Marcos Rojo (ELP), 50th
Diego Buonanotte (RP), 64th

River Plate:
Mario Daniel Vega
Paulo Ferrari, Nicolás Sánchez, Lucas Orban, Cristian Villagra
Nicolás Domingo, Matías Abelairas
Diego Buonanotte, Mauro Díaz
Cristian Fabbiani, Radamel Falcao

Substitutions:
Gonzalo Gil for Díaz, 63rd
Martín Galmarini for Fernández, 71st
Erik Lamela for Flores, 79th

Highlights
Unavailable

It could not come soon enough.

Considering our title hopes were pretty much dead after week 12, this last month has been an unbearable time for gallinas worldwide, as we’ve been forced to see a dead River sleepwalk though the end of the campaign. Mercifully, this forgettable season will end after this Sunday.

BTW, I missed the game last weekend against Godoy Cruz. All you need to know is the result: 1-0 to Godoy Cruz. Enough said.

Things got off on the wrong foot with Tigre scoring an early goal in the first minute. But unlike previous fixtures this season, River not only found the determination to fight back, but more importantly, were able to hold on to their lead, with goals from Flores, Falcao, and Fabbiani.

It would be pointless to analyze what this victory means in the context of a season that has been over for weeks; with most everyone at the club focused on the upcoming Apertura, the win was important for what it suggested could lie ahead for el millo.

Such hope was embodied by Cristian Fabbiani, who had a solid day on the pitch. In past weeks, el Ogro has let his mouth and not his feet speak for him, but Saturday he looked sharp, mentally focused, and in better spirits after what to this point can only be described as a disappointing season. Watch his playful goal celebration below to see just how relaxed he is now.

Can River build on this win for next season? They certainly have a long mountain to climb if they are to regain their rightful status atop the Primera table, but perhaps this win can be the start of better times at the Monumental. Next week, it’s off to face Godoy Cruz. Only two fixtures remain before this season finally comes to and end.

2009 Clausura Fixture 17
River Plate 3 – 1 Tigre

Scoring Summary:
Leandro Lazzaro (T), 1st
Robert Flores (RP), 39th
Radamel Falcao (RP), 62nd
Cristian Fabbiani (RP), 87th

River Plate:
Mario Daniel Vega
Paulo Ferrari, Nicolás Sánchez, Danilo Gerlo, Lucas Orban
Diego Barrado, Nicolás Domingo;
Augusto Fernández, Robert Flores, Rodrigo Archubi
Cristian Fabbiani

Substitutions:
Radamel Falcao for Barrado, 56th
Martín Galmarini for Fernández, 71st
Erik Lamela for Flores, 79th

Highlights

Despite playing (slightly) better, River Plate came away empty-handed from La Paternal this past Sunday, drawing 0-0 with Argentinos Juniors, mathematically eliminating them any chance at winning the Clausura.

Any fan following the club during this agonizing season already knew that the season was over after the 1-0 loss to Newell’s back on May 2nd, so the idea that only now River are eliminated from the title is laughable. The performance that la banda put out was not that of a team pushing for a late-season championship run, but of a squad going through the motions, killing time before the end of the year.

I’m sorry, but what more can I possibly add at this point? What good are game recaps when we all know the outcome? What is the point of rating players when we’ve become so accustomed to seeing them underperform?

I want to support this club, but they are making it incredibly difficult to do so. In the coming weeks, I’ll be focusing more on the future, because to spend one more second on this lot would be a monumental waste.

2009 Clausura Fixture 16
Argentinos Juniors 0 – 0 River Plate

Scoring Summary:

River Plate:
Mario Daniel Vega
Paulo Ferrari, Nicolás Sánchez, Danilo Gerlo, Lucas Orban
Diego Barrado, Nicolás Domingo
Diego Buonanotte, Mauro Díaz
Cristian Fabbiani, Radamel Falcao García

Substitutions:
Augusto Fernández for Barrado, 76th
Rodrigo Archubi for Díaz, 82nd

A comment this week from one of their members asked about the recent lack of posts and whether it was related to the poor performance of the club. While the current state of River is indeed sad, I assure you that en las buenas y en las malas, this blog will continue to exist. No, the reason for the lack of posts has been purely personal as I’ve been dealing with a stubborn injury (I hurt my knee training for a marathon) and the rehabilitation as taken up most of my free time.

Let me say how truly awesome it is to know that there is a community of River Plate fans worldwide who follow our club from every part of the globe, from the U.S. and Great Britain, to Israel and Australia. I hope that we can all continue to stay in touch as we look forward to better days ahead for our beloved River.

Let me catch everyone up on what has happened the past two weeks:

Fixture 14: Huracán 4 – 0 River Plate

Normally a 4-nil loss would be reason for both shock and concern. But with River finished this season and facing a red-hot Huracán at home, the result was simply par for the course. River managed to get to halftime only down 1-0, but Cristian Villagra was sent off in the 59th minute, and it was only a matter of time before the goals kept piling on.

Fixture 15: River Plate 2 – 0 Independiente

Finally some good news. After going 0-2-1 against the other “Top 5″ clubs (two losses to San Lorenzo and Racing, a draw with Boca), los millonarios finally had the upper hand against one of their city rivals, snapping a tree game winless streak in the process.

Despite both teams underperforming this season, the Monumental was packed with 45,000 fans who witnessed a wild match. Diego Barrado and Radamel Falcao would put River ahead 2-0 in the first half (Barrado’s goal in particular was quite impressive) and for once the team was actually able to hold on to the lead. Falcao would miss the chance to add another goal when his penalty attempt sailed over the crossbar. Independiente had their own opportunity at a penalty, but it was saved by Daniel Vega.

The fans were clearly happy for the win, although perhaps for the wrong reason. On a survey taken on La Página Millonaria, 48% of those polled said that the victory was only the result of River playing a worse team. Ouch. Not exactly a vote of confidence.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños!

River Plate celebrated its 108th anniversary this past Monday, the 25th of May. Our stadium, the Monumental, also had a birthday this week, “turning” 71 years old.

Finally, let me congratulate Mark, a frequent visitor to this blog, whose Rangers recently won the SPL. Mark may be the only Rangers/River Plate fan in the world that I know of, so I’m glad he gets to enjoy something this season.

Thanks again for all your support. Check back next week for my take on our weekend clash with Argentinos Juniors.

The result itself certainly qualified. Los millonarios squandered an early lead thanks to none other then Jose Sand, a one-time River reject who earned the wrath of River fans following his raucous goal celebration at the Monumental last year which many felt was disrespectable (he celebrated yesterday’s goal with equal disregard for his former club.) And if last week’s loss to Newell’s Old Boys was the final nail in the coffin on River’s season, the yesterday’s draw was just the bloodied corpse being dragged out one more time.

No, what made yesterday’s game an embarassament were the disgusting chants from the home crowd. Many of River’s players and coaching staff had spent the past week begging fans to come out in force and support the team in a last ditch effort to win the league, a ludicrous idea considering how far back River in the table. So when la banda conceded their early lead, to the villianous Sand no less, the fans angry reaction was expected, and one could even say, deserved.

Huge banners were displayed throught the stadium blasting the team, some saying, “the worst club in history 1901-2009,” or, “the worst defense in history.” But the line was crossed when the chant, “si los vemos en un boliche, los mandamos al hospital,” roughly translated as, “if we see you at a nightlcub, we’ll send you to the hospital” was sung at the conclusion of the second half.

It was a sad reminder of the element of hooliganism and thuggery that exists at River. Emotions flare up in football, and for fans of River team suffering the worst year in over 100 years of existence, yesterday’s game was just another painful remimder of how low the team has fallen. But there is nothing to justify threats, whether real or exagerated, against players, coaches, or the club board. There have been several disgraceful incidents in Argentine football in recent years where “fans” turn on their own players, and this despicable practice needs to stop at once. No one is angrier than I am over River’s performance this year, but it does not grant anyone the right to threaten physical violence.

Nestor Gorosito refused to answer questions on the fans reaction and instead propsed to only talk football. I think that’s the best course to take.

NOTES: If you needed any more signs that River are truly finished in this campaign, consider that Marcelo Gallardo is done for the season after he will undergo a surgery that he delayed at the beginning of the season so he could play. It was a selfless display from a player who left it all out for the shirt.

2009 Clausura Fixture 13
River Plate 1 – 1 Club Atlético Lanús

Scoring Summary:
Radamel Falcao (RP), 6th
José Sand (CAL), 47th

River Plate:
Mario Daniel Vega
Paulo Ferrari, Gustavo Cabral, Nicolás Sánchez, Cristian Villagra
Diego Barrado y Oscar Ahumada
Mauro Rosales, Mauro Díaz, Diego Buonanotte
Radamel Falcao

Substitutions:
Nicolás Domingo for Ahumada, 46st
Cristian Fabbiani for Rosales, 65th
Marcelo Gallardo for Díaz, 65th

Highlights

La banda had entered the game with a fabulous opportunity to gain points on leaders Vélez Sarsfield, who only managed a 0-0 draw to San Martín, and Lanús and Colón, who are above River in the standings, both suffered losses.

Yet even with all that in their favor, and facing a reasonably average Newel’’s side, River stubbornly failed to take advantage of the situation, and worse, looked like a team the came looking more for a draw then a win. River only managed a handful of chances on goal, all in the first half, and even after they went down 1-0 in the 81st minute, they failed to show any sort of drive to leave Rosario with even a point. Marcelo Gallardo had stated earlier this week that a win to Newell’s would keep River alive in the Clausura. With the loss, one can only say that River are as good as finished.

The game marked the return of Cristian Fabbiani to the club he left prior to the start of the season. Angered by the transfer, which Fabbiani aggresively pursued, the Newell’s fans unleashed a barrage of insults and whistles on el Ogro every time he touched the ball. They needn’t have wasted their breath; Fabbiani was a non-factor.

Now one can look at the current Clausura table and see that mathematically, River do indeed still have a chance at the title. They are currently in 5th place, seven points off the summit, and have yet to play Lanús and Huracán, who are 2nd and 3rd, respectively. So get 6 points from those two matches and it’s game on, right?

Sadly, I think the answer is a no. How could I possibly think otherwise based on what I’ve suffered through this season? We have a team with no heart; how can anyone expect them to turn around a season of mediocrity with 7 games left?

Better let the kids have a run out, and start drawing up plans for next season.

2009 Clausura Fixture 12
Newell’s Old Boys 1 – 0 River Plate

Scoring Summary:
Mauro Formica (NOB), 81st

River Plate:
Mario Daniel Vega
Paulo Ferrari, Gustavo Cabral, Nicolás Sánchez, Cristian Villagra
Oscar Ahumada, Nicolás Domingo
Mauro Díaz, Diego Buonanotte
Radamel Falcao, Cristian Fabbiani

Substitutions:
Marcelo Gallardo for Díaz, 61st
Diego Barrado for Domingo, 70th
Mauro Rosales for Buonanotte, 72nd

Highlights

After a horrendous week that saw them miss out on beating Boca and suffering another early elimination from the Copa Libertadores, la banda entered Sunday’s match with all eyes focused soley on winning the Clausura. The squad entered the pitch to fans who came to support the shirt but were still furious at the club’s latest Copa embarrassment, and their response was noticeably indifferent.

River did not exactly squash fears that the bad times were behind them. Though they enjoyed the majority of the possession, and held a 1-man advantage over Gimnasia for most of the second half, they were unable to find the go-ahead goal until the 58th minute, when Radamel Falcao would find a perfect pass from substitute Marcelo Gallardo. El Tigre chipped the ball over the Gimnasia keeper, giving River a much needed, if not entirely deserving, victory.

The game was actually more memorable for two incidents that occurred off the pitch. Gimnasia keeper Gastón Pezzuti was shown a red card in the 69th minute after he became enraged that a ball boy was taking too long to give him back the ball. When the youngster finally did give it back to him, Pezzuti stupidly threw the ball right at him, in clear view of the linesman who immediately notified the referee.

Even stranger was what occurred during a second half substitution. When Marcelo Gallardo was set to come on in the 57th minute, it appeared that he would be replacing Mauro Diaz. As the 4th official displayed the board announcing the change, a chorus of boos came down from the terraces from fans shocked to see Diaz come off, despite being one of River’s best players on the night. Gorosito then seemed to back off his original decision, and instead took out Mauro Rosales, who was himself booed for his poor performance.

Pipo later claimed that he originally told Gallardo that he was replacing “Mauro” and simply failed to specify which one he meant, thus the confusion. But accounts in the press suggest that Gorosito did indeed change his mind after hearing the boos from the crowd. It seemed to work; Gallardo’s first touch of the game was his pass to Falcao that scored the winning goal.

I mentioned last week that River fans would have to take back their club, and it looks like they responded! Anyone with eyes could have seen that Rosales needed to be taken off ASAP and that Diaz was having a fine start, but one has to wonder if the game would have gone differently had Gorosito’s original substitution gone on.

River now have 8 games to try and make a surge towards the title. Can they make it? I’m certainly not convinced they can. Gallardo has stated that if they can win away to Newell’s this weekend they will be legitimate contenders for the title. He failed to mention that the 4 teams must start winning games, and winning them consistently. Let’s hope they don’t fail like they did a week ago.

2009 Clausura Fixture 11
River Plate 1 – 0 Gimnasia de Jujuy

Scoring Summary:
Radamel Falcao (RP), 58th

River Plate:
Mario Daniel Vega
Paulo Ferrari, Gustavo Cabral, Nicolás Sánchez, Cristian Villagra
Mauro Rosales, Oscar Ahumada, Nicolás Domingo, Diego Buonanotte
Mauro Díaz
Radamel Falcao

Substitutions:
Diego Barrado for Domingo, 46th
Marcelo Gallardo for Rosales, 57th
Cristian Fabbiani for Díaz, 81st

Highlights

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

With fans still fuming over the 0-0 draw to Nacional in the Copa only days before, and with all eyes looking ahead to the Superclásico, River were under enormous pressure to get a win to restore some faith in the squad. Lanús, who entered the weekend in first place in the Clausura, lost 2-1 to Argentinos on Friday, and a win would have put los millonarios within reach of the top spot.

Some shocking first half defending would jeopardize that goal, with River’s backline again putting out another horrid performance. Though they were at first able to hold Gimnasia at bay, Juan Cuevas put el Lobo up 1-0 in the 35th minute after Gustavo Cabral failed to mark his man and even fell down, allowing Cuevas to poke the ball into the net. As River headed to the locker room at the end of the half, they were inundated with cries from the home fans, reminding them that anything less than victory against Boca would be unacceptable.

The inclusion of Mauro Díaz and Gustavo Fernández (or better stated, the removal of the players they replaced, Matías Abelairas and Andrés Ríos, respectively) added a new dimension in second half, and it was the diminutive Díaz who would finally score one for River in the 54th minute. The goal finally seemed to light a fire under el millo, and when Diego Barrado hit a perfect cross to put la banda up 2- 1 in the 68th minute, it felt as if River were on the path to victory.

That feeling would not last long. Only two minutes later, Paulo Ferrari committed a stupid foul in the penalty area which Gimnasia would convert, leaving the score level at 2-2. Once again, River were lucky to leave with a draw; Gimnasia had several chances to win the game, and it was only a terrific outing by keeper Mario Vega that salvaged the point.

What was sorely lacking Sunday was the presence of a true leader. Oscar Ahumada has been underwhelming as captain. Cristian Fabbiani’s star has faded since his debut and has resorted to making unnecessary comments to the press that serve only as a distraction. Diego Buonanotte has been invisible. And Marcelo Gallardo, who wore the captain’s armband this past Sunday, failed to make an impact on the field, instead looking more like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum when no one would pass the ball to him. He had a point being upset, but his obvious frustration on the pitch clearly went unnoticed by the other 10 players on the field, and he failed to do much else to motivate his men.

Another bad performance coming at the worst possible time, River are playing with fire heading into the biggest football game in the planet this Sunday (yes, I’m looking at you Celtic-Rangers-Real-Barca fans), and their poor performance this year is raising doubts as to whether they can go into the Bombonera and come out with a win. Everything usually goes out the window when it comes to the Superclásico, so maybe River have something hidden up their sleeve. Let us hope and pray they do, porque este domingo, hay que ganar, sí o sí..

2009 Clausura Fixture 9
River Plate 2 – 2 Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata

Scoring Summary:
Roberto Sosa (G), 35th
Mauro Díaz (RP), 54th
Diego Barrado (RP), 68th
Juan Cuevas (G), 70th

River Plate:
Mario Daniel Vega
Paulo Ferrari, Gustavo Cabral, Nicolás Sánchez, Cristian Villagra
Diego Barrado, Nicolás Domingo, Matías Abelairas
Marcelo Gallardo
Radamel Falcao, Andrés Ríos

Substitutions:
Mauro Díaz for Abelairas, 46th
Gustavo Fernández for Ríos, 46th
Gustavo Bou for Gallardo, 75th

Highlights