Bittersweet Tie in Montevideo

With goals from Ariel Ortega and Radamel Falcao, River came out from Montevideo with a 2-2 result. Although the tie is beneficial for the Millonarios, a bitter taste was left behind after being up 2-1 on half time.

River was the dominant team through out the whole match, but losing the battle in the air was the main reason the Uruguayan side was able to tie the match. Defensor’s coach and former River Plate player, Jorge Da Silva, reviewed River videos well to know that centered balls are huge weakness for the Buenos Aires squad. Prior to the “Superclasico”, River was suffering through out the whole tournament with goals scored against by headers. It came to no surprise that Defensor’s two goals were headers, although their first goal seemed to be pushed Gaglianone’s arm.

At the 5th minute of the match, a penalty was awarded to River and the talented “Burrito” Ortega opened up the match. With his style of pausing before kicking the penalty, he was able to fool the goalkeeper and pass it through to give a River a valuable visiting goal. Nine minutes later, Defensor’s attack was persistent and they managed to tie the match with a header, or should I say, arm. Through the match, River’s midfield was right on cue, with errors being committed by individual players trying to make luxurious plays. River has had this problem before, and has suffered when teammates ignore open players.

Radamel Falcao’s talent has grown tremendously since the start of the season. After his injury, many doubted that the Colombian player would be the same as he was in the “Inferiores”, River’s young division teams. This proved many wrong and he has become a key figure in the team. At the 30th minute, he scored, probably on the beast goals of his career thus far. Seeing that the goalkeeper was far from his area, he shot a hard kick from outside the box resulting in River taking the lead. It came to no surprise that he would leave his mark before the final whistle.

At the end of the match, all of River was excited about the tremendous victory obtained in the “Centenario”, but Defensor Sporting started to attack a pace that River’s doubtful defense could not handle. A lobby to the center of the Carrizo’s box resulted in the tie that caused havoc among the local fans. All of River’s 5,000 fans that attended were silenced and in awe. The victory slipped away in a matter of seconds, but not all is lost. River comes back to Buenos Aires, with a two visiting goals that weighs heavy in this Copa Sudamericana.

The final leg between these two sides is in Buenos Aires on October 30, 2007. River has everything in favor to advance to the semifinals but it is up to the team to make this happen. If River Plate reaches the next round, it will face Arsenal of Sarandi, who defeated Mexico’s Chivas last night. A new classic may be brewing.