River suffered a painful defeat against Independiente Rivadavia de Mendoza by 2 to 1, which meant their farewell to the Professional League championship. This result left the team led by Marcelo Gallardo without the possibility of fighting for the title, remaining eight points behind the leader Vélez Sarsfield with only four dates to play.
The match, played at the Malvinas Argentinas stadium in Mendoza, began unfavorably for River. Seven minutes into the first half, Sebastián Villa opened the scoring for Independiente Rivadavia.
Villa, known for his ability to score important goals, took advantage of a pass into Tonetto’s space and, after a hook, defined with precision against Gattoni’s mark and Armani’s stretch.
River, which needed a victory to keep its title hopes alive, managed to tie the game 39 minutes into the first half thanks to a penalty converted by Facundo Colidio. However, the millionaire team could not maintain control of the game and, in the ninth minute of additional time, Ezequiel Ham scored the winning goal for Independiente Rivadavia, thus sealing the defeat of River.
The match was not only a hard blow in sporting terms, but it was also marked by controversy and lack of control. After Ham’s goal, a scandal broke out on the field of play and in the stadium gym, with players from both teams involved in a series of incidents that included chases and physical confrontations.
Marcelo Gallardo, coach of Riverdid not hide his frustration after the game. In his statements, he acknowledged that his team did not rise to the occasion and that the performance in the second half was particularly poor.
Self-criticism
“We played a very bad second half, we have no choice but to admit that nothing came of it,” said Gallardo. The defeat against Independiente Rivadavia exposed several weaknesses in the game of River. Throughout the match, the team showed a lack of associated play, defensive errors and nervousness, factors that were taken advantage of by the Mendoza team to take the victory.
With this defeat, River finds itself in fifth position in the table, far from the leading positions and with no chance of catching up with Vélez Sarsfield, the championship leader. This result is a hard blow for a team that had started the season with high expectations and will now have to rethink its objectives for the future.
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