Clausura 2009: Rosario Central 1 – 2 River Plate

By: Christian | February 17th, 2009

El Ogro Fabbiani was the hero yet again this past Sunday, helping los millonarios erase a 1 goal, first half deficit to go on and defeat Rosario Central 2-1, securing River Plate their first league win of the 2009 Clausura.

Similar to the first half in last week’s Copa Libertadores debut, Sunday’s game began poorly for River, who looked more like the team that finished last in the table only a few months ago – lifeless, gutless, and not showing any sense of direction. When Rosario scored in the 15th minute, it appeared that the game, even early in the first half, would be lost.

But again it was the second half substitution of Cristian Fabbiani that completely changed the game towards River’s favor. Martín Galmarini leveled the score in the 62nd minute, but it was Fabbiani’s strike 5 minutes later that sealed the victory. While not the most powerful shot, it was enough to catch the Rosario keeper off guard, and the game winner, followed by a joyous celebration by Fabbiani, the team, and the traveling River fans who made it to Rosario, was a deserved outcome for a player who has in only two games, single-handedly revitalized the squad.

Next up in the league, River host Banfield next Sunday.

2009 Clausura Fixture 2
Rosario Central 1 – 2 River Plate

Scoring Summary:
Milton Caraglio (RC), 15th
Martín Galmarini (RP), 62nd
Cristian Fabbiani (RP), 67th

River Plate:
Juan Marcelo Ojeda
Paulo Ferrari, Gustavo Cabral, Nicolás Sánchez, Cristian Villagra
Martín Galmarini, Oscar Ahumada, Matías Abelairas
Diego Buonanotte
Mauro Rosales, Radamel Falcao

Substitutions:
Cristian Fabbiani for Rosales, 57th
Andrés Ríos for Buonanotte, 57th
Diego Barrado for Abelairas, 66th

Highlights