River is in the lead: great derby win Martin Demichelis' team had a very solid performance at the Mâs Monumental stadium, beating Independiente 3-0, with two goals from Miguel Borja and one from Pablo Solari, and taking the lead of Group A in the PFL Cup.

  • Share

Independiente made the most of the early minutes when River was not as precise. However, they failed to create any danger, and River had the first real chance. It came from a well-executed team play that culminated in a dangerous cross from the right by Santiago Simón. From that moment on, Demichelis’ team improved and took control: Nacho Fernández narrowly missed with a header, and then Rodrigo Rey made a good save on Esequiel Barco’s left-footed attempt at the near post.

The rival team responded with a header from Matías Giménez that narrowly missed Franco Armani's goal. Later, Miguel Borja had his chance, with a left-footed shot that almost set the score at 1-0. The opening goal came after a superb long-range shot from Paulo Díaz; the ball struck the post, and the Colombian No. 9, who was alert and ready, collected the rebound to net it. Independiente had the last chance of the first half, with a free kick from Federico Mancuello that narrowly missed the right post.

The second half kicked off much like the first, with River maintaining a solid formation and banking on cohesive midfield play to put pressure on Independiente. River came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, including a high free kick taken by Lanzini. Around the 59th minute, Borja delicately finished off a great cross from Simón on the right, setting the score at 2-0.

River Plate had a smooth run thanks to the significant lead on the scoreboard, and even had opportunities to widen it. Facundo Colidio had two clear opportunities, while Rey managed to save a header from Salomón Rondón. Near the end, Pablo Solari dribbled inside the box and put the gloss on the score with a third goal. With this win, River moved ahead of Independiente in the Group A standings and now sits first place with 20 points. On Sunday, the team will play against Gimnasia y Esgrima in La Plata.