Tie in the Viaduct

Sometimes hyped up games are just that. Hyped up. What we saw on Thursday night was an incredibly boring game between River and Arsenal. Both teams were cautious of not creating a mistake that would of cost them a goal. Both teams were out to win the game but were relying on a fluke goal or an easy counter attack. Although River did dominate through out the match, the lack of goals brought the speed of the game to a screeching halt.

Since Ferrari could not play this match due to his red match with Defensor Sporting, Ponzio took the captain’s arm bracelet and defended the team quite well. With the same starting lineup that played last Sunday, River was facing a touch underdog from one of the many highway viaducts of Buenos Aires, hence Arse’s nickname for it’s location. Playing in Sarandi is very tough and the field looks small compared to the Monumental stadium. Nonetheless, Arsenal came out aggressive, taking advantage lobbying centers left and right. There was a tremendous amount of air time in this game and Passarella created a team just for this reason. My question to the team is, “Why does Passarella favor defensive approach instead of an attacking approach?”

Additionally, both teams were very aware of what was at stake. A goal could of opened up the game rather nicely, but unfortunately we have to suffer through another tie. With over 4,000 fans supporting River in Sarandi, the push and energy to motivate the team failed to work. Last night, I noticed that this team has been playing individually and not as a team. How many times, over the past few games, have I seen Ortega get mad at Falcao for not passing the ball to an open player? It worries me that at this stage, this is still going on. Although this is happening a lot in River, the team is relatively happy with results ending in a tie.

The second game of the series takes place on November 15, 2007 at the Monumental Stadium. I’m hoping that this match will be a successful one since it will take place at home. With the local league championship barely achievable, the Millonarios must focus on this game and winning the Cup. On the other side awaits either America from Mexico or Millonarios of Colombia. (They copied the best!)