In its 100th party in Copa Libertadores as River technician, Marcelo Gallardo celebrated a draw that was pleased to Victoriasince I lost by two goals in the 2,850 meters high of Quito and ended up rescuing a valuable 2-2. The reaction in the second half was key to revitalizing, being as the only leader of Group B and arriving with confidence at the Superclassic against Boca next Sunday in Núñez.
River’s panorama was discouraging when he went to rest after the first 45 minutes. The red band as a whole lost by two goals at the Banco Guayaquil stadium, where Independiente del Valle built a fortress this year since I was undefeated there. There were drowned players and was to be thrashed. To top it off, he had presented a formation with a majority of headlines that felt wear.
However, everything was modified in the second half. From the changes, River reacted, trusted and believed that it was possible to reverse the story. And he succeeded. He did not think that at the time of the corner was Boca but that he concentrated on this match against Independiente del Valle that for Gallardo and company was important not to complicate in the Copa Libertadores. And finally it came out revitalized.
River’s special plan of the coaching staff not to feel 2,850 meters high did not come out in the first part. This time, unlike others, River chose to arrive a few hours before the game to Quito, after night at the plain of Guayaquil but could not resist entrance. And the local team gave him two slapping that left him groggy.
Although in the first part of the River party he had stopped well, with the idea of driving the times and securing the ball when he had it with short passes, everything was diluted in six fatal minutes, with two goals from the Argentine Claudio Spinellithe one that was news when it was stranded in Ukraine for the invasion of Russia, in 2022.
At 23 minutes, the blond pushed a center of Ibarra after a shipping from Layan Loor from the other sector, while the entire defense of River Miraba and González Pirez enabled everyone. And at 29, Bustos lost a ball in attack and independent of the Valley put a furious counterattack, with Loor that reached the bottom and threw a center for Spinelli to push it again when filtering between the plants. It had been river so beaten that in the next play Ibarra almost makes the third with a medium -distance bombing that gave in the stick.
Beyond the effectiveness and forcefulness of Quito’s set, it was no accident that he took an important advantage on the scoreboard. River did not mark well, it was not aggressive, it was light, shadowed and left spaces between the lines. That, at 2,850 meters above sea level, is lethal because it is not reached with the same time as in the plain to make the coverage. In defense, with a last line different from other games, he suffered everywhere. And on offense had no weight. Once again it depended on Mastantuono, who was close to the discount.
The exhaustion was evident in River. There were drowned players. A sample was given Kevin Castañowho at first was precise but then got tired of running so much and began to deliver the ball badly, until Gallardo took it out. Those in the middle were the ones who suffered the most, to the point that the three came out. Wouldn’t 4-4-2 be more convenient than a 4-3-3?
What Gallardo did with the changes in the second part was to strengthen the midfield. And he threw a novelty: he put Lanzini as the left. Manu, so questioned lately, was released away from the Monumental and contributed good things to the team. Of a shot that the goalkeeper bounced, after a change in front of Nacho Fernández, Galoppo appeared to push her. Three of those who had entered gave life to Núñez as a whole. And then the tie arrived. After a Mastantuono corner, Nacho appeared, Picó, gave in the crossbar and Driussi pushed her. It was reviewed by the VAR but was enabled.
Thus River went from 0-3 that between Armani and El Palo avoided after a shooting of hunting at 2 to 2, which felt more like a triumph. Now, to think about Boca.