River Plate fired this Thursday Marcelo Gallardo as coach at the end of his second cycle at the helm of ‘Millonario’ with ovations from the fans and a 3-1 victory against Banfield in a match on the seventh day of the Argentine Apertura Tournament. After announcing on Monday the decision to leave his position as River coach, Gallardo received the affection of the more than 90 thousand spectators who filled the ‘Monumental’ Stadium this Thursday.
With goals from Lucas Martínez Quarta, Sebastián Driussi and the youth Joaquín Freitas, River put an end to a series of three consecutive defeats against a rival that had reached a temporary tie with a goal from Mauro Méndez at the end of the first half.
The first recognition of the ‘Millonario’ supporters to their coach was when the voice of the stadium announced the team in contrast to some of the players who were whistled. “Muñeco, Muñeco”, “Gallardo is from River and he is not leaving from River” and “Muchas Gracias Muñeco” were some of the chants that accompanied this moment and that were repeated when the team entered to play the first half.
The three authors of River’s goals tonight chose to celebrate with a special dedication to Marcelo Gallardo, which marked the end of his second cycle that ended without titles, which contrasted with the 14 conquests of his first stage between 2014 and 2022.
At the end of the game, Gallardo greeted his entire coaching staff and then went to the middle of the field to receive the last applause and with the “Muñeco, Muñeco!” went through the tunnel for the last time this cycle. Then it was the players’ turn and some of them left whistled, except for the youth players who were recognized with applause. And with some tears from the fans the night of Marcelo Gallardo’s farewell as coach of the ‘Millonario’ ended, one of the two most winning coaches in its history along with Ángel Labruna.
