Clausura 2009: River Plate 2 – 0 Banfield

By: Christian | February 23rd, 2009

River Plate nabbed their second straight league victory yesterday evening, defeating a determined Banfield 2-0 at the Monumental. The win ends a winless home streak that stretched back 9 games since last season, and leaves los millonarios tied atop the Clausura table on 4 7 points.

Like their previous wins against Rosario Central and Nacional, the final result was not an accurate representation of River’s performance, and considering how poor la banda looked in the opening minutes, it’s amazing they were able to score at all, let alone produce a shutout.

It was evident in the first half with River caught completely off-guard by a Banfield side that came to play, and had the visitor’s accuracy on numerous shots on goal matched their enthusiasm to win, they surely would have routed Pipo Gorositoso’s squad, who seemed surprised by their opponent’s tenacity.

As it was, it was yet another controversial call that led to River’s first goal in the 36th minute. Matías Abelairas converted a free kick that effortlessly sailed past the wall and a stunned keeper who could only watch as the ball flew into the top corner of the net. However, replays showed that the referee originally appeared to grant an indirect free kick after calling the foul outside the penalty area. The Banfield squad and bench argued furiously for the kick to be retaken, but the ref, who looked as if he had indeed realized his mistake, let the call stand. River would seal the victory when super-sub Cristian Fabbiani would set up a perfect pass to Radamel Falcao in the 83rd minute.

So with a 2-1 record, River find themselves sharing the top spot in the table with Newell’s Old Boys, Colón, and Godoy Cruz, all on 4 points. It’s a bright start for a team that had so little hope going into the new season. The mere presence of Fabbiani on the pitch seems to elevate the entire team into something else entirely, and once el Ogro is deemed fit to go the full 90 minutes, there’s no telling how dangerous River can be.

But reasons to be pessimistic abound at this club, and River’s strong campaign so far has been due more to luck and bad officiating than talent on the pitch. Expectations must be tempered with the season still in its infancy, and there is plenty of football left to play, but just for once, I would like to see River dominate an opponent from the opening whistle to the last, and not feel that even with a 2 goal lead, they can still manage to blow it. The first thing that will calm my nerves? Seeing Mauro Rosales relegated to the bench where he belongs and being permanently replaced by Cristian Fabbiani.

Next up, a must-win away to San Lorenzo.

2009 Clausura Fixture 3
River Plate 2 – 0 Banfield

Scoring Summary:
Matías Abelairas (RP), 36th
Radamel Falcao (RP), 83rd

River Plate:
Juan Marcelo Ojeda
Paulo Ferrari, Danilo Gerlo, Nicolás Sánchez, Cristian Villagra
Augusto Fernández, Oscar Ahumada, Matías Abelairas
Diego Buonanotte
Mauro Rosales, Radamel Falcao García

Substitutions:
Martín Galmarini for Fernández, 58th
Cristian Fabbiani for Rosales, 61st
Rodrigo Archubi for Buonanotte, 78th

Highlights