River did not achieve the feat. The team of Marcelo gallardo fell 3-0 to Atletico Mineiro, as a visitor in Belo Horizonte, and was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Liberators cup. Since 2010, no Argentine team has qualified for the semifinals of the continental competition.
Without Enzo Pérez (suspended) and Nicolás De La Cruz (meaning, entered the second stage), the Millionaire looked uncoordinated in the midfield. Enzo Fernández and Bruno Zuculini did not complement each other and neither were Milton Casco and Fabrizio Angileri helping them from the sides.
Mineiro had a furious start where Franco Armani contained two shots from Eduardo Vargas. The Chilean also opened the scoring with a header that passed very close to the far post. River regrouped little by little and with Matías Suárez had a clear arrival. His shot at the goal of the area was deflected by an Éverson who had fundamental saves.
Minutes later, when the Argentine team marked the rhythm of the game, Hulk put together a great play on the right wing and sent the center to Zaracho, who through a pirouette in solitude, broke the zero with a scissors. The answer came with three touches between Braian Romero, Matías Suárez and Julián Álvarez. The youthful forward took the shot that Éverson took to the corner.
At a disadvantage, José Paradela entered through Maidana and in that sector the Hulk immediately received a deep pass to come face to face with Armani. The former Porto, from Portugal, stung it with a lot of category and established the 2-0. River accused the blow, was split, and Angileri’s injury, at the end of the first half, further complicated the context.
Zaracho missed the third when the game was resumed but did not forgive in the center of Venezuelan Jeffersonn Savarino, the replacement for the suspended Ignacio Fernández, who did not give up the ball on the edge of the baseline for the “popcorn” goal. The goal of the ex-Racing, exhibited an unknown River, which was late and left many spaces in defense.
At times River did what he could against the powerful Mineiro, who in the final minutes regulated the effort after two players were replaced due to injury. To make matters worse, Éverson remained impregnable with the shots of Federico Girotti and De La Cruz, this one through a free kick.
River, in a season without Rafael Santos Borré and definitely without Gonzalo Montiel, accumulated names on the court and watched the minutes pass with some pain with a series already defined in which he at least deserved a goal. Without Copa Libertadores or Copa Argentina, he will aim his goal at the Professional Football League, in search of the title that is missing in the Gallardo coach’s showcases, and for this he will begin to transit from next weekend in La Plata against Gimnasia y Esgrima.
The match data
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