Clausura 2009: River Plate 2 – 2 Gimnasia (LP)

By: Christian | April 14th, 2009

River Plate again disappointed this past Sunday at the Monumental, conceding a penalty in the second half to erase a one goal lead and finish 2-2 with Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata. The result, coming one week prior to the Superclásico against Boca at the Bombonera, raises even more questions about the current state of the team and its chances in the league.

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