River and Velez did not overcome a goalless draw / Photopairs
River drew 0-0 with Velez at Liniers and missed their last chance to qualify for the Copa Libertadores through the annual table. In any case, Marcelo Gallardo’s side can still aspire to play in the biggest continental competition if they win the current tournament or if the title goes to Boca Juniors, Rosario Central or Argentinos Juniors, the teams already qualified for the season.
Before the game, both Velez and River were already seeded into the Clausura qualifiers. However, the millionaire club felt the pressure of needing to win in the midst of a bad footballing moment, and Fortin is not going through a phase of offensive clarity either. Thus, they contributed to a poor first half in which Gallardo’s side were somewhat better, while in the second half it was Fortin who came closest to beating a River Plate team full of children. All this on the condition that he obtains fourth place in the annual table.
Velez came in fourth place and River in sixth place, so they both await their opponents in the second round
Now, River Plate must prepare to compete in the final tournament qualifiers and look for a new title to show for it, as well as qualifying for the most prestigious competition on the continent.
The first half was equal and bad, as both teams adopted a specific style of scoring goals. However, none of them were effective for conversion.
At the beginning of the first half, Sebastian Driusi received a perfect pass inside the area from Juan Fernando Quintero, but at the end of the match he sent the ball over the crossbar and wasted a good opportunity to open the scoring. Later, two shots from Giuliano Galupo and Maximiliano Salas posed some threat to Marchiori’s goal.
In the 31st minute, it seemed that a good shot from Maher Carrizo would open the scoring, but a brilliant response from millionaire goalkeeper Franco Armani, who stretched to clear the ball, denied the home team a 1-0 lead.
The first half was not without controversy because all of Velez asked for help inside Juan Portillo’s area, which happened after a pass from Manuel Lanzini. Referee Ray Helfler allowed the match to continue, considering the move to be an unintended handball. Thus, the duel ended at the end of the first half without goals and with Fortin ascending after a better start to the match by the River Plate team.
In the second half, Velez Sarsfield improved and took the lead in the match, although he was unable to overcome Franco Armani, who intervened on many occasions to maintain the score and avoid defeat for his team. The veteran goalkeeper, not having his best moment at River, was the figure of the afternoon at Amalfitani.
In the 24th minute, Fortin had a double chance to open the scoring, first at the feet of Thomas Galvan (Armani drowned out his cry for a goal with a brilliant save) and then over the head of Thomas Kavanagh, with his shot passing centimeters from the millionaire’s right-hand pipe.
Between River’s need and Velez’s better performance, the match became a constant back-and-forth with both teams getting into the opposition zone with ease, despite not having much pinpoint ability. Velez had spaces to hurt, but time and again he found himself with the toughness of the millionaire goalkeeper.
It was River who received a penalty kick when the ball bounced off Bozat’s hand inside the area, but it was in a natural position and did not expand the body space according to Ray Helfler’s standards, which allowed it to continue.
As the match ended, River finished in sixth place and Velez in fourth place in Group B. Both are waiting to know their opponent in the round of 16 of the tournament.
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