Clausura 2010: River Plate 1 – 0 San Lorenzo

By: Christian | March 5th, 2010

Facundo Affranchino lifted River Plate to a much needed victory over San Lorenzo last night at the Monumental as his 73rd minute goal was the difference in a 1-0 win.

As important as these three points are, especially coming at home and against a rival like San Lorenzo, the win was not enough to hide what was a shocking game of football from both teams, who from the opening whistle seemed intent on playing for a draw. Had the game ended in a 0-0, which in all honesty would have been the fairest result, we would be talking about yet another miserable result for la banda, but instead, the conversation has turned to the “heroic” Affranchino scoring the game winner. It is a sign of just how far River have fallen that one win seems to make everyone forget just what a sad state the club is in.

But enough of that – River did indeed win and whether deserved or not, they secured the three points and move up to 10th in the table. There were some bright spots: Juan Díaz had a great game in defense, and Paulo Ferrari, Matías Abelairas, Oscar Ahumada all stood out. But there continues to be problems with the offense. Marcelo Gallardo had another off night, and Daniel Villalva had no impact on the game.

In fact, looking at the six goals River have scored so far in this campaign highlights our offensive problems. Our leading goalscorer is Ferrari, a defender, with two, followed by Gallardo, Gustavo Bou, Gustavo Canales, and Affranchino, all with one apiece. Neither Bou or Affranchino are starters, and Gallardo’s was on a free kick. In other words, neither of our supposed starting forwards, Daniel Villalba and Rogelio Funes Mori, have scored a goal. Neither has Rodrigo Rojas or, when he plays, Ariel Ortega, our two enganches. If this hole in our offense is not filled soon, I don’t see how River can get through the season with a right back as our leading scorer.

River will have another clásico to prove their worth this Sunday when they face Independiente, with the added bonus that a defeat over los rojos will put a dent in their title bid. I could live with another bad River season, but to see Independiente win the title? That would be too much.

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