The Libertadores, once again, didn’t disappoint. Boca and River collided last Sunday in the mythical “La Bombonera” in a duel that will be remembered through the years. The match ended in a 2-2 tie that left plenty to dissect.
For River Plate
A 2-2 away tie is always valuable, especially in the final and against your rivals. Gallardo surprised everyone by putting a 5-3-2 formation, slotting Martinez Quarta in the defense. The formation worked wonders. It allowed backs Casco and Montiel to attack the spaces without worrying much about covering their backs.
River controlled the match tactically, but they had a hard time translating their possession and superiority into goal-scoring opportunities. Palacios and Enzo Perez made little impact in the game, but because of River’s scheme, they weren’t needed that much to attack. River used the sides a lot, with Casco and Montiel passing through mostly empty lanes and Gonzalo Martinez pitted one-on-one against Jara, who’s been struggling a lot recently and had an awful day against a scorching hot Martinez.
Still, River managed to generate some clear chances. However, of the four they had in the first half, three were turned away brilliantly by fill-in goalkeeper Agustin Rossi who was the best Boca player of the match.
The best news for River was that Lucas Pratto seems to have finally turned the corner after being the most expensive transfer in quite some time ($14 Million USD, an astounding number for Argentinian soccer). He scored the equalizer moments after Wanchope’s opener and was also key in the second goal. El Oso played his best game in River on the toughest stage.
The bad news for River is that key striker Rafael Santos Borre was booked and will miss the second leg. Borre was a key component, not only of River’s attack but his pressing ability is key on the first line of defense. Now, recovered Ignacio Scocco will most likely start in his place and worrying Gallardo is that the duo of Scocco and Pratto don’t fit together quite as well in the offense.
For the second leg, River will play on their home turf in front of their fans. This time for a chance to humiliate their rivals and perhaps erase the famous “Mancha de la B” (the stain of having been relegated).
For Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors left the tie feeling like it was a loss. They were up twice but both times conceded the equalizers. Still, Boca has plenty of reasons to feel good about last Sunday’s game.
First, Boca finally seems to have figured out Armani, exploiting both of his weaknesses for goals. On the opening goal by Wanchope, Armani gave an unfortunate rebound that landed back at the feet of the striker who capitalized on the chance and put a blazing shot on Armani’s near-post that just beat him. On the second goal, Boca scored on a set piece, again, one of Armani’s biggest weaknesses. Villa put a wonderful ball in the box which Benedetto headed wonderfully into the top-right corner.
The main problem for Boca was once again containing Pity Martinez. Jara just can’t seem to figure him out. He was by far the worst Boca player on the pitch Sunday. To cap off his horrible outing, he was booked on a foolish foul against Martinez and also left the game injured. Boca fans are claiming for Julio Buffarini to start in his place for the second leg.
No one knows how Boca will line up for the deciding match. Pavon left the game early with an injury that may keep him out for the second leg. Benedetto entered in his place with Boca using two #9s. Benedetto and Abila caused headaches on River’s defense all day long, so the experiment worked wonders. Manager Guillermo Barros Schellotto will most likely play his two-star striker on the 24th. Another doubt is if the veteran, and all-time great, Carlos Tevez will get to start in the most important match of Boca Junior’s history. Carlitos played excellent as a sub in the first leg. He seemed connected and compromised with the team. He knows this is probably his last shot at glory and played like it.
Boca will need to keep a level head, as the SuperFinal is still wide open. Even though River is already celebrating, there are still 90 minutes of football remaining.