Apertura 2008: Arsenal de Sarandi 2 – 2 River Plate

By: Christian | September 14th, 2008

Arsenal 2 - 2 River Plate

Any hope that River were going to come out looking more improved from their first 4 league matches were dashed this evening as los millonarios yet again dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal de Sarandí. Despite a strong second half, the team continued to disappoint with their on field performance, and as a result find themselves with a dismal 1-3-1 record.

With Simeone fielding his strongest starting XI available, River regardless looked very average for much of the first half, with only a handful of real opportunities created. So when Cristian Villagra put River ahead in the 18th minute, with a quick little maneuver on the left of the penalty area that allowed the defender to just curl the ball past the Arsenal keeper, it appeared that River were on to something. But that was quickly deflated when Arsenal put one back in the 38th minute, a cruel blow going into halftime made worse by the poor defending that allowed it.

In the 61st minute Arsenal would again slip one past River, but this time the goal seemed to wake the squad up from its sleep, and the rest of the second half would see la banda play its best football of the evening. The game opened up, the squad pushed forward, chances were created, and it seemed as though River were going to pull themselves out. Radamel Falcao beautifully headed in the equalizer in the 70th minute, but despite the continued pressure, the ball would simply not go into the net. Falcao had a golden opportunity in the final minutes of the match to grab the victory, but his shot on goal bounced off the far post, and River’s best chance was squandered. The whistle sounded, and River were now at the tail end of a 3 game winless streak.

This is starting to look dire. Yes, there are still 14 matches left to play, and the Apertura is a long way from being decided. But what can we look forward now? Diego Buonanotte is back, but he has not yet resumed his form from last season, which had as much to do with Ariel Ortega playing beside him then anything else. Santiago Salcedo has shown nothing since his debut, failing to score a single goal and looking completely ineffective up front. Consider that two of our defenders, Tuzzio and Villagra, have more goals than Salcedo now. Juan Ojeda is for now the lone bright spot, again making some important saves and taking over the post from Juan Pablo Carrizo admirably.

But the numbers say it all: A 1-3-1 record. 5 goals conceded with only 6 in favor. Winless in 3. Yes, River were champions last season, but only just. If things stay as they are, don’t expect any celebrations come December. This Wednesday, River will host Vélez Sarsfield at the Monumental.

2008 Apertura Fixture 5
Arsenal de Sarandí 2 – 2 River Plate

Scoring Summary:
Cristian Villagra (RP), 18th
Carlos Casteglione (A), 38th
Javier Yacuzzi (A), 61st
Radamel Falcao García (RP), 75th

River Plate:
Juan Marcelo Ojeda
Paulo Ferrari, Facundo Quiroga, Eduardo Tuzzio, Cristian Villagra
Augusto Fernández, Oscar Ahumada, Matías Abelairas, Diego Buonanotte
Radamel Falcao, Santiago Salcedo

Substitutions:
Mauro Rosales for Salcedo, 55th
Andrés Ríos for Fernández, 69th
Robert Flores for Ferrari, 88th

Highlights