River 2 - 1 GFC (393473009)

Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 1206 at Monumental today. Stefanos Chatzikonstantinou was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Antti Svenskberg and Gustavo Gusmão. River tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Berho - Álvarez, Frenquelli, Díaz - Agudelo, Kegalj, Bonnett, Saucedo, Daza - Hurtado, Niño.

GFC decided to use a 3-4-3 set up. The following players took the field: Junieles - Sampaio, Marić, Stolzenau - Pabón, Hannila, Violante, Gugger - Martínez, Pontiroli Gobbi, Tezna.

GFC were mostly trying to use their skill at attacking on the flanks. River made a bid to take the lead as a ball coming in on the right hand side left S. Daza completely alone with keeper R. Junieles, who made a spectacular block. C. Agudelo of River received a yellow card after 32 minutes for unsportsmanlike behaviour. After a fine move down the middle P. Frenquelli nearly gave the home side a goal after 33 minutes. However the finishing shot went just wide. 35 minutes into the game, N. Álvarez had to leave the pitch due to a knee injury. In came G. Passarino. After 36 minutes River's L. Bonnett contracted a slight foot injury, but didn't want to leave the game. Making his way up the middle 37 minutes into the match, S. Saucedo almost managed to squeeze a goal past the visitors' keeper, but the alert R. Junieles blocked it to keep the score level. 38 minutes into the game, a swerving free kick by L. Díaz almost resulted in the home team taking the lead, but the shot glanced harmlessly off the frame of the goal. The teams went for the halftime break at 0 - 0. Possession in this half belonged to River, who controlled the ball 56 percent of the time.

It was a fine day for R. Pabón on his wing, his cross pass to D. Tezna was especially delicate 50 minutes into the game, but the keeper saved. River broke through on the left 60 minutes into the game, with S. Saucedo firing in from an acute angle to give the home side a 1 - 0 lead. The River players could smell victory in the air. L. Bonnett wasn't in a hurry to leave the field as he was substituted for L. Mandia after 70 minutes. The River captaincy was handed to P. Frenquelli. Some brilliant football from the visitors' right wing resulted in a levelling of the score as GFC's D. Tezna put the ball in the onion bag after 73 minutes to make it 1 - 1. With 74 minutes played, the home side managed to get a 2 - 1 lead as D. Niño flipped the ball in after a cross from the right. C. Kegalj wanted to play on, but the River coach had other ideas, and he was replaced 89 minutes into the game by R. Suárez. River claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 61 percent.

River's top performer was clearly R. Suárez. On the other hand, A. Berho's play was disheartening. D. Pontiroli Gobbi performed admirably for GFC. However, L. Sampaio made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 2 - 1.