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ESIn the first leg, River wins in Córdoba A header by Paulo Díaz led Marcelo Gallardo’s team to a 1-0 win against Talleres in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Round of 16. The second leg will take place next week at the Mâs Monumental stadium.
The exciting CONMEBOL Libertadores night in Córdoba kicked off with River in top form: within the first minute, Franco Mastantuono, Claudio Echeverri, and Adam Bareiro—three key attacking players—linked up and caught Talleres’ defense off guard. Despite this, the home team had a clear chance to score, but Franco Armani made a superb save on Marcos Portillo’s right-footed shot.
Fabricio Bustos made an interesting debut at right-back, allowing River to exploit that flank and create a clear chance. Bustos sent a deep pass to Mastantuono, who cut inside in the box and fired a low left-footed shot that was stopped by Guido Herrera. The match was very contested and tight, with a lot of rough play in the midfield. Gallardo’s team performed better toward the end, with a long-range chance from Echeverri and a quick recovery by Santiago Simón that Mastantuono couldn’t capitalize on.
At the start of the second half, Talleres threatened with a cross-shot, while Paulo Díaz won an aerial duel from a corner kick and nearly scored the opening goal. The home team made another attempt from a set piece, with Juan Portillo delivering a dangerous header. In the closing minutes, the game grew tight once more, but River had a solid chance with Agustín Ruberto in the box.
In the dying minutes, Paulo Díaz headed in a superb goal from a free kick taken by Nacho Fernández, giving River a 1-0 lead and a key win. With this result, River will aim for a spot in the quarter-finals when they host Talleres next Wednesday at the Más Monumental stadium. Meanwhile, River’s next match will take place this Saturday in La Plata against Gimnasia y Esgrima for the PFL.
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