San Lorenzo Wins the First Game

Unfortunately, I have to start my review of the game angry and disappointed. In what appeared to be a valuable tie in the Nuevo Gasometro Stadium in Buenos Aires, River was defeated by San Lorenzo off a controversial penalty shot awarded by the referee Baldassi. On one side was former River coach, Ramon Diaz (who won the Copa Libertadores with River in 1996) and Andres D’Alessandro who was torn in two. The other side was Diego Simeone and the gang who desperately want to win this cup and brings joy and satisfaction to every River fan in the world.

The first half of the match was a very even match on both sides although the first few minutes showed River as the dominant team. Both River and San Lorenzo wanted to score right away to assure some kind of confidence. River’s defense started to slowly crumble as San Lorenzo pushed forward aggressively. One of the key figures in the team from Boedo was former River star Andres D’Alessandro. He did and excellent job controlling the ball and made beautiful passes that caught River off guard in various situations. Carrizo looked very firm in defending River’s side as San Lorenzo pushed towards the right side of the field. Although this proved successful, at the 27^th minute of the half, Silvera put San Lorenzo on top of the game. River defender, Cabral, looked lost and could not control Silvera and the goal proved this. The stadium erupted and the look on Ramon Diaz’s face was a resentful grin (something that is going to stick in the back of mind for a long time). Minutes later, River would tie the match as Radamel Falcao scored a fabulous header behind Orion’s net. For the rest of the first half, both teams slowed down and played each other tactically. 

As the second half commenced, River was determined to hold the tie until the final whistle. Although a goal would have been excellent, the tie seemed to be the expected result for Simeone’s side. This reaction was read by Ramon Diaz and he put all of his offense to work, Play by play, San Lorenzo began to attack River on all sides and this caused the midfield to collapse. Diego Simeone brought in the young Buonanotte to lift River’s spirit and he had a few chances to score but as the saying goes “If you don’t score now, you will get scored on later”. This became a reality as three minutes before the final whistle, referee Baldassi awarded San Lorenzo a penalty shot. Alexis Sanchez struck the ball with his hands but the ref did not count the foul that was committed on Alexis. Nonetheless, San Lorenzo scored and left River with a bitter taste in every fan’s mouth. This Sunday’s game with Boca Juniors in the Bombonera Stadium will be a critical match in obtaining the championship.