Suárez’s goal and the best actions in the duel played in Peru
River Plate got a hard-fought win on his debut in the Liberators cup: for him Group F of the competition: beat Alianza Lima 1-0 in Peru, thanks to the goal of Matias Suarez In the second half. The bad news: he lost due to injury to Robert Rojasfor the blow he applied Aldair Rodriguezwhich ended up being expelled.
El Millonario went out to play with the same plan that he deployed at the Monumental: suffocating pressure, dominant pose and a lot of mobility, against a local team that, in the defensive phase, deployed two marked lines of five and four men, leaving only Barcos in attack as ram.
The reduction of spaces forced the Band to bet on patience and speed combinations, not always with precision. Thus, shots from outside the area emerged as the best variant to break Alianza’s resistance. At 17 minutes, a shot by Nicolás de la Cruz caused Campos to save.
The host played on the counterattack, and was able to surprise at 25, after good management by Barcos and the appearance of Benavente, who defined a deflection.
Possession was almost exclusive to River (70% bordered), but it rarely translated into arrivals, even leading his rival to lose the ball quickly. He lacked surprise, or a man who broke in 1 versus 1. Esequiel Barco failed to be the key to a defense that offered almost no cracks.
Consequently, only one stopped ball (David Martínez’s header that went over the crossbar at 35′) came close to breaking parity.
In the first breath of the complement, Armani had to be required to avoid the fall of his fence. Although he continued to handle the ball, the frustration with the lack of space became more and more noticeable in River, despite the fact that he kept trying. Gallardo touched the board with the entry of Juanfer Quintero by boat. And the Colombian gave liveliness to the offense.
At 14, he tried from mid-range and found Campos in good standing. And at 15 he received the center behind Álvarez, tried to set up the shot, and was close to beating the goalkeeper. El Muñeco deepened and made Matías Suárez enter by Simón. And the vision of the DT made the difference.
Because at 19 minutes Álvarez made a detour and assisted with a link panorama. And the former Belgrano kicked first and crossed for the Millionaire to take advantage: 1-0.
From there, the visit built replicas that did not end well, while Armani had to come to the rescue again before a run by Aldair Rodríguez. The latter was the protagonist of the saddest play of the match: he hurt Robert Rojas, to the point that he had to go out on a stretcher. Wilmar Roldán first showed him a yellow card, but realizing the consequences, he changed his decision and expelled him.
Rodríguez’s kick and Rojas’s obvious signs of pain
The injury ended up tarnishing the victory of the Band, which came from beating Defense and Justice 2-1 for the League Cup. This is the eighth consecutive edition in which Gallardo directs River, becoming a record DT. For the second date of Group F, his team will host Fortaleza from Brazil on Wednesday, starting at 7:00 p.m. Alianza Lima, on the same day and time, will visit Colo Colo from Chile.
Formations:
Lima Alliance: Angelo Campos; Yordy Vílchez, Ricardo Lagos, Oslimg Mora, Pablo Míguez, Christian Ramos; Josepmir Ballón, Jairo Concha, Oswaldo Valenzuela; Cristian Benavente and Hernán Barcos. DT: Carlos Busts.
River Plate: Franco Armani; Robert Rojas, Jonatan Maidana, David Martinez, Milton Casco; Enzo Fernandez, Enzo Perez; Santiago Simón, Nicolás De La Cruz, Esequiel Barco; and Julian Alvarez. DT: Marcel Gallardo.
Stadium: Lima National.
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (Colombia).
KEEP READING:
