Rosario Central Ends River's Winning Streak

Sunday was River’s first loss of the Clausura tournament and it was a loss that brought a sad ending to a winning streak. River had not lost a game since the start of the tournament but today in Rosario, River was defeated by Rosario Central by a score 2-1. River demonstrated a lack of play in all areas of the field but the worst section of the match continued to be the defensive end. I heard something interesting in Radio Mitre after the match that intrigued me. They stated that River has been playing this way ever since the tournament started and it was Carrizo that had saved the match on many occasions. In this match, Carrizo could not do much with the weak defense that was portrayed in this match.

The first half of the match was pretty much equal on both sides with a few clear shots from each team. River kept reaching the opposing side’s goal area more frequently and in the 19th minute, Diego Buonanotte, scored River’ only goal. This goal was special for him since he was celebrating his 20th birthday and scoring a goal was the perfect present. After River was in the lead, something happened. River began to give up precious space in the midfield section and the defense began to suffer and commit many fouls. Rosario began to attack more rapidly and in the 29th minute, tied the match. At this point, I accepted the tie but was determined that River would quickly react and take the lead back. I proved myself wrong when fourteen minute after Rosario’s tie, they took the lead. And to top it all off, it was a player that River rejected, Martin Arzuaga, who back in 2006 was caught with an injury during the initial workout.

The second half brought only one positive event. Ariel Ortega returned to the pitch after spending nearly a month recovering from an injury. He was able to bring back some the spark back into the midfield but it was not enough to motivate the team. The game ended with Rosario obtaining a valuable three points to fight relegation and a River who seemed dazed and confused. Why is that River plays one way in the Copa Libertadores and another way in the Clausura? I have been wondering about this all day today and with the game facing Boca Juniors in 2 weeks, something has to change to keep this side positive and motivated in the Clausura tournament.