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ESRiver won in Córdoba and will play the Argentine Cup final Marcelo Gallardo’s team beat Estudiantes de Buenos Aires 2-0, with goals by Javier Pinola and Exequiel Palacios. Now it will go for the title, playing against Central Córdoba in Santiago del Estero.
In a stadium waiting to see el Millionario go for a new final, River Plate started better off on the playing field and asserted its idea of offensive play from the beginning. This is how the first opportunities to score came about, like Nacho Fernández’s shot from outside the area, and another shot by Exequiel Palacios which grazed Estudiante’s crossbar.
Lucas Pratto managed to get in front of the goal, but his shot deflected. Then, River had difficulty in creating danger, but could count on a free kick by Nacho Fernández and another shot by Pratto. In the last minutes, Nicolás De La Cruz complicated Facundo Altamirano with a right-footed shot in a corner kick, out of which came the first goal, after a header by Lucas Martínez Quarta and a lunge by Javier Pinola.
In the second 45-minute half, River didn’t change its attitude and went looking for the second goal to be more relaxed. The first threat was at the feet of González Metilli, with a shot that went too high. El Millionario responded with a shot by Rafael Borré, from the right, which didn’t go in.
On a clear opportunity, Milton Casco fired a shot which was blocked by the goalkeeper, but, after the rebound, the ball hit a goalpost. Borré scored, but the referee disallowed the goal on the basis of a dubious off-side position. River kept on trying and, after an exquisite assist provided by Juan Quintero to Borré, the Colombian player couldn’t find a teammate.
Jorge Carrascal also had his chance with a good individual move inside the area, but the second goal arrived in the last minutes of the match, almost as in Madrid: all Estudiantes players went for the draw, but River cleared the ball, Quintero took control of it and left Palacios alone to score into an empty net. Thus, el Millionario will go for the Argentine Cup, playing against Central Córdoba, which beat Lanús, in Santiago del Estero.
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