EN
ESRiver gave its all, but was eliminated on penalties Marcelo Gallardo’s team played with immense pride and dedication, evened the score thanks to Julián Álvarez, and was close to winning in the 90 minutes.
After a tight beginning, River tried to gain strength on the sides of the field and was making penetrating runs on Milton Casco’s side. Nonetheless, in a one-off play, after a foul was committed on Jonatan Maidana, Carlos Tevez scored the first goal off a cross from the right side. The home team took advantage of the momentum and pressed up the field with a high shot by Sebastián Villa. River started to gain ground and had two scoring opportunities thanks to shots from outside the box by Julián Álvarez and Enzo Pérez.
The two clearest opportunities happened together: after a cross from Fabrizio Angileri and a bad clearance by Agustín Rossi, Gonzalo Montiel captured the ball on the right side and almost scored the equalizer, but Frank Fabra managed to save it. Off that corner kick, Maidana lost the marker and fired a powerful header that went narrowly over the home goal. Moreover, River had a chance by means of a good free kick by Angileri, while Villa threatened River’s goal with a free kick as well.
In the second half, Leonardo Díaz became one of the key figures, after making two very good saves against Tevez. River got in a better position and took the reins of the match, scoring the equalizer: Angileri fired a great cross from the left side and Álvarez crossed a header. Then, el Millonario was relentless, pressed Boca, and almost scored the second goal. The clearest scoring chance consisted of a shot from Julián and a rebound shot from Rossi that Fontana wasn’t able to catch.
Toward the end, Díaz made an excellent save against a right-footed shot from Tevez. On the penalty shootout, the home team scorers were Tevez, Villa, Izquierdoz, and Buffarini (Díaz saved Cardona’s shot); River's scorers were Montiel and Álvarez (Rossi blocked the shots by Angileri and Ponzio). El Millonario’s next match will take place on Wednesday, at the Monumental Stadium, for the CONMEBOL Libertadores Cup.
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