Defensor Sporting 2 - 2 River Plate

By: Christian | October 26th, 2007

Defensor Sporting 2- 2 River Plate

River’s solid form since winning the Superclásico a few weeks back looked to continue last night in Uruguay in the first leg of the quarterfinal matchup against Defensor Sporting in the Copa Sudamericana, but a late goal by the home side leveled the score 2-2, denying los millonarios a deserved victory. Ariel Ortega put River ahead early in the 5th minute on a penalty kick which Defensor answered 9 minutes later, but red hot Radamel Falcao looked to put the game out of reach in the 30th minute with an incredible golazo to make it 2-1. The second half saw River tighten down and control the pace of the game, not giving the Uruguayans much of a chance. But the ghosts of this season’s up and down defense came back to rear its ugly head in the 84th minute as Defensor equalized thanks to poor keeping by Juan Pablo Carrizo. Regardless, River head back to the Monumental for next Tuesday’s 2nd leg with a huge advantage and barring an upset, on pace to make it to the semifinals.

Am I disappointed in the outcome? Of course. River were playing a solid game and were completely in control, frustrating a very decent and attack-minded Sporting side for most of the match (although it must be said that River were helped by a shockingly inept referee.) Daniel Passarella’s lineup flowed well together, and even players who had subpar performances like Belluschi and Rosales still ran after every ball as if it were the last. So it was even more disappointing to see River slip up so easily in the dying minutes of the game by giving away the tying goal, and it was especially frustrating to see Carrizo’s careless handling of the play that led to it (had he simply fought harder for the ball and grabbed it in the air, it could have easily been averted.) The goal caught River off guard, forcing them to defend harder against Sporting who now seemed rejuvenated in grabbing the game winner, but thankfully it ended in a draw.

So while it should have been a victory, River still grabbed 2 all-important away goals for next week’s return leg at home, where they have been undefeated all season long, and can now advance to the semifinals by either a 0-0 or 1-1 draw, or of course, a victory. Add to the fact there will be no match this weekend due to the elections in Argentina, los millonarios should be well rested and hopefully, mentally prepared.