For a team that is struggling to score, River were handed a gift in the 2nd minute when Huracán keeper Gastón Monzón fumbled a loose ball in front of his net which led to an own goal by defender Ezequiel Filippetto. Los millonarios received an even better gift later in the first half when a Huracán goal was disallowed for being offside, though replays showed it should have stood.

There was no luck needed however in the second half, when an perfectly times cross from Juan M. Díaz found Gustavo Canales, who headed the ball into the net, securing an important victory for River in their quest to avoid relegation next season, and boosting their confidence ahead of their visit to La Bombonera next Sunday.

River will most certainly need the momentum going into the Superclásico. Sunday’s result was only their third win in 9 games, and only the second time this season they have scored more than one goal, and one of those only came as an own goal. River have failed to win two matches in a row, so they will need their players to perform at their best if they are to win against Boca. A little luck wouldn’t hurt either.

Highlights:

After (barely) defeating San Lorenzo three days earlier, River come into Sunday’s match with renewed confidence, and a strong first half seemed to suggest that River would be able to hold off an Independiente side looking for a win to send them to the top of the table.

But shocking defending left Darío Gandín unmarked in front of River keeper Daniel Vega, who had no chance to stop his shot on goal. It was an unfair result given Independiente’s poor first half, but bad defending from River could only lead to disaster. Look at the video of the second goal below in the 60th minute to see just how much room Independiente were given.

Offensively, River had nothing going all night, and Leo Astrada’s decision to use Mauro Díaz as the enganche proved useless. Neither Rogelio Funes Mori, Gustavo Canales, or second half sub Daniel Villalva were able to generate anything, and bringing on Marcelo Gallardo to replace Díaz was not enough.

But the worst was Matías Abelairas, who is on his way to becoming public enemy number 1. The winger has been criticized by many fans this season, and on Sunday he gave them more reason to question his inclusion in the squad. El Pitu had two opportunities to score and botched both, denying River a chance to get back in the game. He is hardly the only squad member to blame for this disastrous season, but missing two sitters like that is bound to single anyone out.

Can it really be that the rest of the season will go on this way, disappointment week after week? Will there be anything else to talk about, other than River’s impending date with relegation? Well, in two weeks time, we shall pay a visit to Boca for another edition of the Superclásico. With both teams having nothing else to play, you can expect both sides to use this opportunity to salvage some pride for the season. Can River rise about their current slump and find the form that lead them to that wonderful, 3-1 win in the summer?

River Gifting Goals to Independiente:

As important as these three points are, especially coming at home and against a rival like San Lorenzo, the win was not enough to hide what was a shocking game of football from both teams, who from the opening whistle seemed intent on playing for a draw. Had the game ended in a 0-0, which in all honesty would have been the fairest result, we would be talking about yet another miserable result for la banda, but instead, the conversation has turned to the “heroic” Affranchino scoring the game winner. It is a sign of just how far River have fallen that one win seems to make everyone forget just what a sad state the club is in.

But enough of that – River did indeed win and whether deserved or not, they secured the three points and move up to 10th in the table. There were some bright spots: Juan Díaz had a great game in defense, and Paulo Ferrari, Matías Abelairas, Oscar Ahumada all stood out. But there continues to be problems with the offense. Marcelo Gallardo had another off night, and Daniel Villalva had no impact on the game.

In fact, looking at the six goals River have scored so far in this campaign highlights our offensive problems. Our leading goalscorer is Ferrari, a defender, with two, followed by Gallardo, Gustavo Bou, Gustavo Canales, and Affranchino, all with one apiece. Neither Bou or Affranchino are starters, and Gallardo’s was on a free kick. In other words, neither of our supposed starting forwards, Daniel Villalba and Rogelio Funes Mori, have scored a goal. Neither has Rodrigo Rojas or, when he plays, Ariel Ortega, our two enganches. If this hole in our offense is not filled soon, I don’t see how River can get through the season with a right back as our leading scorer.

River will have another clásico to prove their worth this Sunday when they face Independiente, with the added bonus that a defeat over los rojos will put a dent in their title bid. I could live with another bad River season, but to see Independiente win the title? That would be too much.

Highlights:

Fuerza Chile

Before I begin this week’s blog post, let me take a moment to remember all those who perished in last week’s devastating earthquake in Chile. I know I speak for everyone here at The Offside in wishing that country a speedy recovery as it begins to rebuild itself. Chile has blessed the game of football, including River Plate, with some amazing talent over the years, and we look forward to seeing their stars shine once again on the world stage. Aguante.

River survived a disastrous first half to draw 1-1 with Gimnasia de La Plata Sunday night. Gustavo Canales scored in stoppage time to give la banda a much needed point in what has become a fight to avoid a potential relegation battle next season.

On paper, a fight against Gimnasia, a team that has skirted relegation in recent years and whose biggest achievement of late was defeating rivals Estudiantes, should give any team in the Primera a reasonable chance at three points. Unless of course that team is the River that played during the first half on Sunday. It was a performance that made Gimnasia look like Barcelona taking on an under-13 side. River defended so poorly that el Lobo literally ran circles around them, with Gimnasia’s young 19-year old striker Marco Pérez, a rising star in Colombia, scoring in just the 8th minute.

The second half saw a different River side come out, this time with Marcelo Gallardo coming on as a sub to lend his experience. Los millonarios finally started to show signs of teamwork, and pushed the Gimnasia defense further and further back. They were better in creating scoring opportunities, and could have scored more if not for a stand-out performance by opposing goalkeeper Gastón Sessa, who had a handful of saves. Thankfully, a last gasp goal from Canales gave River a much needed point to bring them up 6 on the season.

Sunday’s match was a reminder of the new football in Argentina. The days of the dominance of the Big 5 are over. Nearly one-third of the way through the season, only one of the traditional powers, Independiente, is in the top half of the table. Racing Club will struggle all year to avoid relegation, a situation River could find itself in next season.

Instead, the dominance has shifted to the “smaller” clubs that are now legitimate contenders to the title in a wide open race. Colón and Godoy Cruz are currently holding the first and second spots in the league, and Banfield and Lanús are representing Argentina in the Copa Libertadores after River and Boca failed to qualify.

The first half against Gimnasia proves that in this new footballing landscape, River cannot afford to give any team an advantage. Imagine if River had played with the same intensity as they showed in the second half? A win would not have been out of the question. Instead, they doomed themselves to merely a draw. Not Good. Enough. So as long as River struggle to maintain consistency with a roster of youngsters and aging veterans, they will continue to lose ground to other clubs in La Primera, making their title bid that much more difficult.

River will host San Lorenzo this Thursday.

2010 Clausura Fixture 6
Gimnasia (LP) 1 – 1 River Plate

Scoring Summary:
Marco Pérez (GLP), 8th
Gustavo Canales (RP), 91st

River Plate:
Daniel Vega
Cristian Villagra, Alexis Ferrero, Nicolás Sánchez, Juan M. Díaz
Diego Barrado, Oscar Ahumada, Matías Abelairas
Rodrigo Rojas
Daniel Villalva, Gustavo Canales

Substitutions:
Marcelo Gallardo for Barrado, 46th
Rogelio Funes Mori for Villagra, 65th
Facundo Affranchino for Rojas, 77th

Highlights:

After watching this latest performance, a game so dull that the match announcers on TyC Sports spent more time reading fan emails then commenting, I can only marvel that River haven’t started the season at 0-0-4. That might very well have been the case if not for Daniel Vega, the young keeper who has by far been our best player.

So it was unfortunate that the lone goal on Sunday came on a penalty which Vega was unable to stop. It could have been a much worse first half if not for some key saves from Vega. Offensively, River had only one real chance in the 31st minute that they failed to convert. Their only other contribution to the game was a Facundo Quiroga red card in the 80th minute; River coach Leo Astrada also was ejected following an outburst after the final whistle.

Whatever hopes fans had in the pre-season of seeing a new and improved River have all but faded. It isn’t that the title is out of our hands; as it stands, the club are in 14th place with 4 points, as many points separating them from the leaders with 15 games left. But with our veterans Almeyda, Ortega, and Gallardo under-performing, and our youngsters like Funes Mori and Villalva consistently absent, there is little hope for a quick turnaround.

River will host Arsenal this Sunday in a must-win game.

2010 Clausura Fixture 4
Colón 1 – 0 River Plate

Scoring Summary:
Esteban Fuertes (C), 43rd

River Plate:
Daniel Vega
Nicolas Sanchez, Alexis Ferrero, Facundo Quiroga
Paolo Ferrari, Juan Diaz, Matias Almeyda, Marcelo Gallardo
Rodrigo Rojas
Daniel Villalva, Gustavo Canales

Substitutions:
Diego Barrado for Sanchez, 62nd
Mauro A. Díaz for Gallardo, 64th
Rogelio G. Funes Mori for Rojas, 74th

Highlights:

What does any of this have to do with River Plate? Coamo is only a few minutes from the town of Ponce, home to Club Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 2007 with the help of the Argentine River, which had been seeking to create a “franchise” club on the island. Like its older brother, the Puerto Rican club has already proven a success.

During its inaugural season the club participated in the Liga Premier de Futbol and finished champions. The following season it joined the Puerto Rico Soccer League and finished runner-up, and in 2009 were winners of the regular season (similar to the Supporters Shield in MLS) after finishing at the top of the 9-team table. The team also has one international title, the 2009 Copa Monte Plata, a tournament held in the Dominican Republic. The club will begin its next season soon this year, and will eye a spot in the upcoming CONCACAF Champions League.

I had hoped to visit the team in Ponce, but unfortunately could not make it. I hope to have a report on the club in the near future.

But back to River Plate now, where there’s business to get down to. Here’s what happened last week:

River Plate nearly let one get away following a 3-2 win over Chacarita Juniors last Thursday. Despite leading twice in the game at 2-0 and 3-1, the club was lucky not to finish with a draw or worse. At the very end Chacarita appeared to have tied the game, but thankfully the goal was called back after the referee called an offensive foul. The goals were courtesy of Paolo Ferrari, who scored the first two, and Gustavo Bou, who scored the game winner. You can watch the highlights below.

Now I was able to watch the Thursday game but completely missed this past Sunday’s 0-0 draw against Rosario Central, but by all accounts I missed nothing. River failed to score even once against a team that had already conceded 4 goals this season. Sorry, I didn’t feel think anyone would want to see highlights of that.

Finally, the biggest news to come out of River over the weekend was yet another relapse from Ariel Ortega. El Burrito failed to appear for a training session last Friday, and instead showed up late the next morning in an inebriated state. Leo Astrada made the decision to leave the play-maker out of the squad against Central, a move which did not sit well with Ortega. Since then, Astrada and President Daniel Passarella have tried to deal with the situation, while Ortega, while pledging his love for the club, has suggested that if River don’t want him, he will play his football elsewhere.

I’ve written about the Ortega drama many times on this blog in the past, so rather than rehash what I’ve said before, let me just come out and say it: Burrito, it is time for you to retire. You’ve given your life to this club and you are loved dearly for it. But you have a disease that needs to be treated, for the sake of yourself, your family, and for your children, all of which are more important than football. And if I may be even more blunt, these constant dramas, seemingly every season, are a distraction to the club you love, and are certainly not helping matters on the pitch. So please Ariel, for yourself and for River, get the help that you need. Now.

This Sunday, River will travel to Santa Fe to meet Colón.

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.

There were a number of problems. Both of River’s central defenders, Facundo Quiroga and Alexis Ferrero, struggled. Matías Almeyda, one of the squad’s strongest players last season, was awful with his distribution of the ball, often passing it right back to the opposition.

Most troubling though was the pairing of Ariel Ortega and forwards Daniel Villalva and Rogelio Funes Mori. The two young strikers, both coming off a successful Torneo de Verano, have been touted as the next big thing, with Funes Mori himself being heralded as no less than the next Hernán Crespo. With the experience of playmaker Ortega playing behind them, the possibilities to score would seem endless. But the three failed to create anything during their time on the pitch. Ortega could not provide the service, and the few times they did have the ball, neither Funes Mori nor Villalva could convert their chances. Both have a long way to go before either can replace the sorely missed Diego Buonanotte.

Maybe it was too much to presume that this Clausura would see a new River so soon. They were, after all, playing the champions of the league, not a battered Boca. Still, I saw something in those two games that gave the impression that River were in the ascendancy. There was a sense of urgency in their play, and the team simply worked better as a unit then I’ve seen in months. So it was disappointing to see the squad so lifeless and without ideas on Sunday. I would even go so far to say that the loss would have been tolerable had River at least tried to put up a fight.

The squad will now try to get its first win of the season this Thursday against Chacarita Juniors.

2010 Clausura Fixture 1
River Plate 0 – 1 Banfield

Scoring Summary:
Sebastián Fernández (B), 74th

River Plate:
Daniel Vega
Paulo Ferrari, Alexis Ferrero: 6,5, Facundo Quiroga, Juan Manuel Díaz
Rodrigo Rojas, Matías Almeyda, Matías Abelairas
Ariel Ortega
Daniel Villalva, Rogelio Funes Mori

Substitutions:
Diego Barrado for Villalva, 56th
Gustavo Canales for Funes Mori, 67nd
Gustavo Bou for Abelairas, 78th

Highlights:

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:

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.

It was during the second half however that River shined brightest. Taking advantage of a disorganized and tiring Boca side, los millonarios put on a master class over their rivals. Rogelio Funes Mori was the first to expose the Boca defense when he headed in River’s second goal after Abbondanzieri bobbled what should have been an easy save off a free kick. The goal technically should have not been allowed after replays showed an offside, but River nonetheless took advantage of the situation.

But the spoils would belong to Daniel Villalva. The young Keko, a rising star from the River youth academy who hasn’t even turned 18, scored the final goal to cap off an impressive performance that has fans and media still talking. The run-up to the goal was so perfect in its execution, that it was only fitting that Villalva, the best player on the night, be allowed to score it. Leo Astrada made the right call to substitute him allowing the fans to reward him with a standing ovation.

And yet, this was far from a one man show. There was not a single player off his game Wednesday night, and one finally saw a team on the field as opposed to 11 bodies in search of one. Even more exciting was the fact that River pressed on, searching for more goals even when they led 3 goals to 1, and completely dominated the match. Boca meanwhile looked a team in crisis. Their defense was so porous that the River offense had no trouble dismantling them, even the game announcers commented on how easy River made it look.

Things started to implode for Boca when a frustrated Palermo began yelling back to fans near the sidelines who were taunting him, a stupid move that only brought more abuse from that sector. But it was Osvaldo Gaitán who completely lost the plot when he picked up a water bottle that had been thrown at him back into the stands as he prepared to take a corner, the same spot where moments before Palermo had mouthed off to the fans. No player should have to deal with things thrown from the stands, but for Gaitán, the only Boca player who bothered to show up, to throw something back at the crowd showed a complete lack of judgment on his part, and it earned him a straight red card.

But enough about the poor, unfortunate, Boca. This was a night for River Plate. A night when la banda finally produced a performance that it desperately needed to erase the still painful memories of tournaments passed. Some might say that the game in the end meant nothing and served only as a warm-up, but if you believe that a River-Boca game even in the pre-season is meaningless, then welcome to your first game of football. Trouncing on your rivals is a priority no matter what is at stake, and River on Wednesday showed just how important winning a Superclásico truly is.

The next game against Boca will be this Sunday. Let’s hope that our River shows the same character again and scores even more.

Gracias, por esta alegría, de ganarle a Boca, que felíz que soy!

Highlights:

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