Clausura 2009: River Plate 1 – 1 Club Atlético Lanús

By: Christian | May 11th, 2009

It’s a sad sign of the times that River Plate’s 1-1 draw with Lanús yesterday evening was somehow not the most embarassing sight at the Monumental.

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