EN
ESRiver created many opportunities, but drew against Colón In Santa Fe, Martín Demichelis’ team fell behind twice and managed to recover; River had many opportunities to win it, but couldn't get past the 2-2 draw.
In a highly dynamic start to the match, the first threat came from Agustín Palavecino: following a well-executed team play, the midfielder tried his luck with a deflected right-footed shot from outside the box. Colón took the lead thanks to an individual move by Rubén Botta and a powerful shot that beat Ezequiel Centurión. However, a few minutes later, Miguel Borja won a header from a corner kick by Nacho Fernández and leveled the score at 1-1.
Centurión responded well in two instances in which he was tested by Ramón Ábila and Damián Batallini. The match was very evenly balanced, but the home team took a 2-1 lead with a penalty, after VAR review, which Botta converted into a goal. River could have equalized before half-time, but Paolo Goltz made a timely block on Andrés Herrera, as the fullback unleashed a right-footed shot at the edge of the penalty area.
Less than two minutes into the second half, River equalized with a stunning goal by Borja (with an exquisite assist from Nacho). In the next play, the midfielder received the ball from the Colombian forward but couldn't take a comfortable shot, in a clear-cut chance to give River the lead. In another good opportunity, Manu Lanzini unleashed a powerful right-footed shot that narrowly missed the right corner of Ignacio Chicco's goal.
River took control and didn't let Colón play. When Matías Suárez came on to bolster the attack, he attempted to catch the keeper off guard with a long-range shot that sailed over the crossbar. Once again with chances from outside the box, Herrera's low right-footed shot, facing the goal, narrowly missed the target. In one of the few opportunities the home team had, Centurión reacted swiftly to palm away a cross from Botta.
At around the 75-minute mark, Demichelis’ team had another very clear chance for a 3-2 lead, with Suárez making a run down the flank and delivering a cutback that didn't find any teammate to tap it in. Nacho Fernández entered the box unmarked and couldn't find the net with a precise cross from Pablo Solari on the right. The keeper also blocked a free kick from Pity Martínez. With the tie secured in Santa Fe, River reached 17 points and remains in the top positions in Group A.
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