In another poor performance, River Plate was further from fighting for the crown of the Professional Soccer League by losing at home to Talleres de Córdoba 1-0, in the match on date 21. The only goal of the match was scored by Diego Ortega, who ran alone from his field in stoppage time in a lethal counterattack and justly broke the result.
With six games to play, Marcelo Gallardo’s team has 32 units and is seven behind its classic opponent, Boca Juniors (39), which is the temporary leader.
The clash with the T was played at the Monumental, it was refereed by Facundo Tello and the performance of the Millionaire was so discreet that his figure ended up being the goalkeeper Ezequiel Centurión, who played due to the absence of Franco Armani (on tour with Argentina).
River had other absences: the selected Nicolás De la Cruz and Paulo Díaz; the injured Rodrigo Aliendro; and the suspended Enzo Pérez and Marcelo Herrera. Because it’s true: he started doing half the job well, with good advances in all lines, to generate from the recovery, but he had so little clarity in three quarters of the field that his initiative was diluted.
Talleres, little by little, found the weak points of Marcelo Gallardo’s team: the backs of Héctor Martínez, little used to working as a left back. River moved their lines forward a few meters at the beginning of the complement and that allowed them to recover the initiative, especially due to the greater mobility and participation of Barco.
But, as in the previous stage, he hardly generated danger due to the inefficiency in building and leaving his players in front of the goal. Only a shot by Barco himself, somewhat forced, that went near the left post of Herrera’s goal had some risk.
And Talleres, little by little, with the leadership of Villagra from the middle, reborn in the collective since Javier Gandolfi’s assumption as the new DT, first balanced and then dominated. So much so that he turned Centurión into a figure, who covered a shot by Garro, another by Catalán and had the help of a stick in a shot by Villagra.
But the local goalkeeper could not in the last one: Herrera cleared a frontal free kick from Quintero, Ortegoza took the ball in his field, ran alone to the River area and beat Centurión with a great shot that hit the left post and got just 1-0. s
