An Impeccable Debut

That glorious night in Córdoba at the final of the Copa Argentina allowed River to win its place for this edition of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Bridgestone. The much-awaited debut came with a production to remember in Colombian soil: a remarkable demonstration of hierarchy that was crowned with a perfect victory.

During the first half, the rain was the leading character for the first 26 minutes, so the Referee decided to suspend the game. The only dangerous play by the local team was a kick by Luis Arias from outside the area that went above Augusto Batalla’s goal. After that, the interruption lasted almost one our, and then the game was resumed.

First, Lucas Alario forced a penalty shot after a long shot by Ignacio Fernández, and he took charge of the ultimate punishment: an unstoppable kick and the 1-0 for El Millonario. A few minutes later, River scored the second goal after a mistake by goalkeeper David González and the goal-minded opportunism of Sebastián Driussi, who captured the ball after it bounced and kicked it to the bottom of the net.

Dominating the game, River handled the rest of the first half very well. Near the end, Batalla drowned an opportunity for the local team: he stopped a kick from outside the area and reacted quickly, he threw himself to the ground and kept the ball. Thus, Marcelo Gallardo’s team went to the locker rooms with a well-deserved advantage of 2-0.

During the second half, El Millonario kept the trend and finished the game with Lucas Martínez Quarta’s score. After a corner shot from the left, the defender kicked a precise and powerful shot that passed near the rival’s left post.

With this third point, River handled the game with ease, and its defense was very solid. A few minutes before the game ended, Deportivo Independiente Medellín scored thanks to Juan Quintero’s penalty shot.

Next Tuesday, River will visit Lanús for the Local Tournament, while its next presentation for the Copa Libertadores will be on April 13^th against Melgar from Peru at the Monumental Stadium.

SUMMARY:

DEPORTIVO INDEPENDIENTE MEDELLÍN: David González; Marlon Piedrahita, Andrés Mosquera, Hernán Pertuz, Luis Arias; Christian Marrugo (C), Didier Moreno, John Hernández; Juan Valencia, Juan Quintero; Cristian Nazarit. COACH: Luis Zubeldía.

Substitutes: Nelson Ramos, Hernán Hechalar, Jonathan Lopera, Mauricio Molina, Yairo Moreno, Jhonier Viveros, Juan Saiz.

Substitutions: Moreno for Arias, Molina for Hernández, Hechalar for Marrugo.

RIVER PLATE: Augusto Batalla; Jorge Moreira, Jonatan Maidana, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Milton Casco; Ignacio Fernández, Leonardo Ponzio (C), Ariel Rojas, Gonzalo Martínez; Sebastián Driussi and Lucas Alario. COACH: Marcelo Gallardo.

Substitutes: Maximiliano Velazco, Camilo Mayada, Arturo Mina, Nicolás Domingo, Carlos Auzqui, Rodrigo Mora and Iván Alonso.

Substitutions: Mayada for Fernández, Alonso for Alario, Auzqui for Moreira.

Goals: Quintero (DIM); Alario, Driussi, Martínez Quarta (RP).

Booked: Mosquera, Arias, Marrugo (DIM); Alario, Martínez, Casco, Batalla (RP).

Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Bra.).

Assistant Referees: Alessandro Rocha and Bruno Boschilia (Bra.).

Fourth Official: Luis Oliveira (Bra.).

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