River Plate, with an alternative team, lost this Sunday against a good Hurricane by 3-2, as a visitor, and reaches the Copa Libertadores rematch against Vélez Sarsfield in its worst moment of the year.
For the sixth date of the 2022 tournament of the Professional Football League, the “Globo” was imposed by the goals of Jonathan Galván (37m. PT) and in the second half by Franco Cristaldo (17m. and 27m., penalty).
For River, who played from the 29th minute of the first half with one less due to the expulsion of Jonatan Maidana, Leandro González Pirez (23m. ST) and Julián Álvarez (48m. ST) discounted in their last local game with the jersey of the ” Red Band” (he had 54 goals, one goal away from being the highest scorer in Marcelo Gallardo’s cycle, a privilege held by Colombian Rafael Santos Borré with 55).
Gallardo’s team returned to defeat in the championship after two wins in a row and reaches the rematch against Vélez for a place in the quarterfinals of the Libertadores in its worst moment of the year.
The last time that River suffered two falls in a row was in August 2021 when after the elimination with Boca in the Argentine Cup they lost to Godoy Cruz in Mendoza and then in the first leg against Atlético Mineiro in Núñez.
The defending champion was left with 8 points and far from the 13 he had in the first six dates of the 2021 campaign.
Hurricane added his second victory in a row and with 11 points settled in the top positions.
In addition, Diego Dabove’s team reached Sarmiento in the last place to access the international cup zone.
Hurricane, in addition, cut a streak of four games without beating the “Millionaire”.
The locals had a great first half and a lethal second half that was enough to bank River’s comeback in the second half with one less.
River went out to play with a completely different team than the one presented in Liniers except for the presence of the goalkeeper and captain, Franco Armani.
The alternative team of the “Millionaire” had a very weak first half with players below their level and what was expected by the “Muñeco” Gallardo.
The other side was Hurricane, who dominated the first part of the match with a suffocating pressure that allowed him to recover the ball in the rival field.
River was also a nervous and disconnected team. Except for an initial play by Juan Fernando Quintero that ended in a shot by Agustín Palavecino, he had no excursions through the Lucas Chaves area.
The development of the match changed in the 28th minute when, after a struggle, Jonatan Maidana attacked Matías Cóccaro – a nightmare for rival defenders – right next to the visiting substitutes’ bench.
The referee Fernando Rapallini did not observe the situation but Mauro Vigliano called him from the VAR and after checking the play he gave the red to the experienced defender who had been one of the few who had fulfilled in that first half hour.
Huracán quickly took advantage of the advantage because as soon as the game resumed, Franco Cristaldo warned with a strong shot from outside that Armani saved well.
Gallardo rearmed the defense with the entry of David Martínez for the Colombian Quintero, who for now is far from being a solution for River (he has not yet played a full 90 minutes this year).
River’s night looked so black that a few minutes later, at 37, the River Plate captain, who had just been a figure with Vélez, missed a cross from the right by Federico Fattori and after a deflected shot by Cristaldo, the ball It was left to Jonathan Galván who scored the 1-0 with a strong right hand.
For the second half, the “Muñeco” ordered the income of Esequiel Barco and José Paradela due to the low performance of Tomás Pochettino and Santiago Simón, respectively.
The “Millionaire” showed another attitude and with one less he managed to push back Huracán, who could not keep up with the pace of the first half.
However, the “Globo” stopped on the counterattack and that’s how the 2-0 came after a good run by Gabriel Gudiño (in one of his first interventions on the court) who later gave it to Cristaldo before Armani left. .
The former Boca Juniors celebrated with “Topo Gigio” emulating Juan Román Riquelme for the madness of the people “Quemero”.
River’s push had its effect in the 23rd minute with Leandro González Pírez’s discount, but the illusion did not last long for the visit.
In the following action, the defender himself knocked down Matías Cóccaro, one of the figures of the “Globo”, in the area, and the “World Cup player” Fernando Rapallini did not hesitate to collect a penalty.
Cristaldo, the best Huracán player, took charge of the execution and made it 3-1, which, however, would not be definitive due to the last discount of the “Spider” Álvarez, who thus said goodbye to the local competition and the next Thursday he will do it at the international level against Vélez Sarsfield at the Monumental, before his people, before going to Manchester City.
Huracán’s great night that is excited to get into the international cups at the hands of Cristaldo and a tireless Cóccaro.
River improved and showed some reaction in the second half, but will have to improve a lot to achieve the year’s goal of staying alive in the Copa Libertadores, although the starters will return for that game.
Synthesis
Hurricane: Lucas Chaves; Guillermo Soto, Jonathan Galván, Lucas Merolla and Walter Pérez; Santiago Hezze and Federico Fattori; Benjamin Garré, Franco Cristaldo, Juan Gauto; and Matias Coccaro. DT: Diego Dabove.
River Plate: Franco Armani; Andrés Herrera, Jonatan Maidana, Leandro González Pirez and Elías Gómez; Bruno Zuculini; Santiago Simón, Agustín Palavecino, Tomás Pochettino, Juan Fernando Quintero; and Lucas Beltran. DT: Marcelo Gallardo.
Goal in the first half: 37m. Jonathan Galvan (H).
Goals in the second half, 17m. Franco Cristaldo (H); 23m. Leandro González Pirez (R); 27m. Cristaldo, penalty (H) and 45 + 3m. Julian Alvarez (R).
Change in the first half: 32m. David Martinez for Quintero (R).
Changes in the second half: At the beginning, José Paradela for Simón (R) and Esequiel Barco for Pochettino (R); 13m. Gabriel Gudiño for Gauto (H); 15 m. Julián Álvarez for Beltrán (R); 33m. Santiago Moya for Galván (H) and Rodrigo Cabral for Garré (H); 41m. Guillermo Benítez for Hezze (H) and Enzo Luna for Cóccaro (H).
Admonished: Fattori and Soto (H); Zuculini and Pochettino (R).
Incidence in the first half, 29m. Maidana (R), expelled.
Referee: Fernando Rapallini.
Stadium: Hurricane.
