Once, Marcelo Gallardo He invited River fans to believe, after a hard fall against Gremio that ended with qualification for the final of the Copa Libertadores that ended up being played in Madrid. This time, after the tough 3-0 in Belo Horizonte against Atlético Mineiro, the coach turned into a statue was more cautious. However, the fans continue to believe and go after utopia. So much so that this Monday from 6:00 p.m. some 25,000 fans came to the Monumental stadium to raise a flag in support of the team that tomorrow from 9:30 p.m. will try to overcome the series to get into a new final of the most important competition in South America.
One day before the rematch with Atlético Mineiro, the Monumental began to vibrate and fill with energy. The fans believe in Marcelo Gallardo and his players and took over the club’s external beach to raise a banner and support the Millonario team that this Tuesday night will go for the epic and try to overcome the 0-3 in the first leg in Belo Horizonte to seek to get into the long-awaited final of the highest continental tournament. “I want Freedom”was the hit that was played the most in the evening in Núñez, among the 25 thousand fans of the red band who were at the event. And he followed “Tomorrow no matter what it costs, tomorrow we have to win.”
At six fifteen in the afternoon, the main gate that faces Figueroa Alcorta Avenue opened and the first fans, who had already been waiting on the sidewalk for a while, ran in. There was madness and passion. In full song, with t-shirts, umbrellas, flags, pyrotechnics and red and white smoke flares, as if they were in the stands, they awaited the arrival of the players, who were training on the Monumental playing field.
Obviously, there was no lack of dedication to Boca with the historic hit “He who does not jump died in Madrid” and some songs against the Brazilians. And there were also the flags that decorate the stands of the Monumental in each game, such as those of Ramos Mejía, Lanús, Flores, Los Troncos, Villa Adelina, Don Torcuato and El Palomar. “This is the Gallinero band, the one that fucks with the bosteros, it moves here, it moves there, this is the craziest band there is”, they waved at one point. And they continued with the now classic “The River gang is coming, the River gang is coming, to the Monumental”.
FlagAt 7:44 p.m., the footballers looked out from the balcony of the new space behind the San Martín stalls and faced the fans, who exploded with happiness when they saw them. The players’ faces were filled with smiles. They greeted and joined in with the songs, the jumps and the harangues.
A couple of minutes later, Marcelo Gallardo and his coaching staff appeared. The Doll greeted the crowd, who venerated the leader. “Muñeeeeecooo, Muñeeeeecooo”thundered on the walls of the Antonio Vespucio Liberti, while the coach raised his hands and thanked the gesture. At that point, there were fans everywhere. They even had to open the stairs that lead to the stands to make more space. Everyone took out their cell phones to record the scene and record the moment.
FlagThus, they were in that communion between fans and players for half an hour, until the footballers thanked them with applause and got back into the concentration. The roles were changed for a moment and they, hugging each other, jumped and sang as if they were cheering from the plank. Below, the bass drums and snare drums sounded to combine the percussion, while the fans left at a slow pace, without excesses.
It’s just that nobody wanted to leave. But in a few hours the fans will return. To continue encouraging. To try, from his place, to help the team build an epic and overcome a series that seems unrecoverable. But nothing is impossible. Gallardo already said it. And as the Muñeco reflected, the players will have that extra and that dose of the River fans to fill themselves with energy and try to play the “perfect” game that everyone dreams of in Núñez to turn history around.