River sought and got his prize: he beat Fluminense to get on the air in CONMEBOL Libertadores

He searched, tried, and got his reward Wednesday night In Monumental de Núñez. River Plate beat Fluminense 2-0, in the first final due to their continuation in CONMEBOL Libertadores, thus remaining with three key points for the fifth date of Group D. In this way, the Millionaires were able to get some fresh air and would mark their qualifying goal on the last day.

El Millonario, captained by Martín Demichelis, scored their biggest win in traditional Libertadores history against Fluminense 5-1 last month in Rio de Janeiro. That night was glorious for Argentine German Cano, who scored three goals and was the number one in an unforgettable year for the striker. And this time he faced the added challenge of being able to beat this opponent for the first time.

Already three minutes into the match, Pablo Solari received the ball between the lines, entered the large area, faced the goalkeeper and marked it well below, at the near post. But the video assistant referee warned the judge and the goal was disallowed because it was his right leg in advance.

In a lively match from the start propelling the hosts to victory, in front of their own fans, a huge warning came from the Brazilian opposition after 11 minutes. Cano, after receiving a good pass, entered and faced Franco Armani, who below him, on his right, managed to clear the ball and give fresh air to several fans.

In general, River had more possession, looking for options with plays that weren’t always obvious, but went further and tried to open the scoring. He had goal positions, but he failed. Meanwhile, Fluminense, in addition to Kanu, had a golden chance, at 38, when Colombian John Arias finished badly, when he approached Armani, which silenced the Nunez stadium.

It seemed that the first stage was ending and Lucas Beltran was under the goal, but he could not communicate well, a situation that was saved by Fabio, the opposing goalkeeper. Many shouted at him, but again. This is how the last opportunity for the place receded, due to the desperation of the people and the urgent need to go out complementing all or nothing.

Once the second half began, Pablo Solari had a very clear chance, also with another shot from Ezequiel Barco, until four minutes later it was Beltran who broke the deadlock on such a tense night in the cup by receiving Solari’s low cross. from the right. He just had to be careful and push it in front of the goalkeeper’s exit.

But little by little the evolution changed and it was Fluminense who saw themselves as losers and went out in search of the tie. He charted better plays and started getting more, but again didn’t have the necessary goal across from Kanu and some of his teammates. It had some and a new error by Armani, which is very erratic, when giving a rebound that left everyone frozen on a cold Buenos Aires night.

Finally, they dropped Barco and the penalty came at the end of overtime. The same player kicked well and celebrated Demichelis’ set. Thus he was able to declare victory and get a breath of fresh air in the Libertadores. Fluminense remained at the top of the standings with nine points, and River passes to collect seven points. His goal is to win from the local to the The strongest at the end of the group to enter the next version of the cup.

With this scenario, the millionaire continues to rely on himself to qualify. He has already achieved one victory and needs another. River had just won one of their last 10 home matches against Brazilian teams in the Copa Libertadores. It also took away the desire to be able to beat Fluminense, a rival he had never bettered. For this reason, although she suffered in the end, it was an expected success and necessary to continue dreaming.