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ESRiver draws in Avellaneda in the Professional League On Matchday 13 of the championship, River Plate drew 0-0 against Independiente.
Dominating the first few minutes of the game, River leveraged the midfielders’ combined play to orchestrate some attacks on the left flank, with combinations between Marcos Acuña and Maxi Meza. The game took a dramatic turn when the home team’s forward, Santiago López, was sent off shortly after the ten-minute mark.
Independiente posed little threat, with a long-range shot from Gabriel Ávalos that went wide. River struggled to create danger in the first half, prompting Marcelo Gallardo to turn to the bench, substituting Facundo Colidio for Matías Kranevitter. Still, the first 45 minutes ended without much action and with few shots on goal.
With the opponents well set up at the back, Gallardo's team looked to threaten from set-pieces: a cross from Meza on the right saw Paulo Díaz win the aerial battle, but his header lacked precision. In a well-executed team play, Manuel Lanzini set up Miguel Borja, but Rodrigo Rey reacted quickly to deny him the opening goal. Following a run by Santiago Simón down the right, the Colombian forward failed to head the ball accurately at the near post.
At the end of the match, River had three clear-cut chances: Franco Mastantuono sent a left-footed strike off target from the edge of the box, Colidio couldn’t connect with a cross from Simón, and Fonseca’s right-footed effort went just wide. With this draw, River couldn’t move up the table and will use the coming days to prepare for the next match and the CONMEBOL Libertadores quarterfinals.
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