Rosales Wins the Game in Chile!

Another spectacular late goal gave River the win last night against Universidad Catolica in Chile. With a roaring crowd plus eleven players against the Millonarios, River faced an opponent thirsty for a victory. Although both teams accumulated three points, this third game of the group was crucial in determining the leader of the bunch. Universidad Catolica had all of the advantage in the world but River’s determination to win proved to be the winning factor.

The first half of the minute found both teams playing a little bit sloppy but the Chilean side managed to move the ball around easily. River’s defense once again looked faulty and the doubtful Cabral was committing all sorts of mistakes, left and right. Everytime Cabral and Ferrari possessed the ball, Universidad’s side found a way to win it back. They knew that River’s defensive area was weak and manage to move up the field between these two players. This provided Carrizo the opportunity to prove himself once again as the savior of the team. With his saves and skills, Carrizo has earned himself the title of the best goalkeeper in Argentina as he has the fewest goals allowed. At the 43rd minute of the match, Ariel Ortega lobbied a short pass thru a defender in which Augusto Fernandez caught the pass, drove up the goalkeeper’s box, and side-wiped the goalie. Sebastian Abreu was wide open at his side, and Fernandez passed it to him and Abreu was able to score.

The start of the second half was a sting and a shock to River. At the referee’s whistle, Universidad was able to drive up the field in a matter of minutes and tie the game up. This goal was like a bucket of cold water on everyone. Being in the lead in the half, and having the game tied right away was not the plan. River still managed to move the ball forward but it wasn’t until Coach Simeone made the necessary substitutions. Out came Alexis Sanchez (which played a good game but seemed tired in his own country of birth), and in came the young Buonanotte and Rosales. Buonanotte played an excellent and once again proved to be a necessary player in the team. With his determination and effort, at the 44th minute of the second half, he struggled to win the ball and move the ball up the side of the goalkeeper’s box and lobby a center. The ball managed to deflect off a defender and Mauro Rosales was right there to drill the ball to the goalkeeper’s left goalpost.

River is now Group 5’s leader in the Copa Santander Libertadores and the odds of classifying into the second round looks promising. The next game for River is on Sunday, March 16, 2008 versus Racing Club of Avellaneda.