Just a year after being relegated from the Liga Nacional for the first time in their history, Argentina’s most domestically successful football club, River Plate, recovered their top flight status at the first time of asking on Saturday.
David Trezeguet celebrating one of his two goals against Almirante Brown. (Photo courtesy of AFA)
After enduring 363 days of footballing purgatory, the Nuñez-based club secured promotion and won the B Nacional title after beating Almirante Brown 2-0 in their final league game in a fevered Estadio Monumental with two goals from veteran French international striker David Trezeguet.
After the game, an emotional Matías Almeyda, completing a fine debut season as coach, said: “It was the hardest year in the club’s history. I cannot believe it, it is an immense joy … The psychological aspect and the togetherness of the group was instrumental at the end of the championship. River are worthy winners, each player contributing his part.” For his part, club president Daniel Passarella wrote an open letter to fans saying that: ‘Together we wake up from a collective nightmare’.
Partying River fans brought traffic in downtown Buenos Aires to a standstill as thousands congregated around the Obelisco to celebrate.
Renewal
After the trauma of relegation, River overhauled their coaching and playing staff in readiness for their trip into the unknown territory of ´La B´. Matías Almeyda, River’s one bright spot as the team’s midfield leader in their relegation season, retired from playing to take over the coaching reins from Juan José López, whose over-cautious tactics were blamed by many for the team’s demotion. Almeyda pledged to restore River’s traditional attacking style of play, living up to that promise by fielding three out and out forwards in many games.
Mariano Pavone of River Plate hides his face after failing a make a penalty kick. (Photo courtesy of Globonision by Ivan Franco)
On the playing side, expensively recruited loan signings Juan Pablo Carrizo and Mariano Pavone went back to their parent clubs, whilst their 19-year-old attacking prospect Erik Lamela was sold to AS Roma in Italy for €14 million to help reduce the club’s crippling debts of $250million.
In their stead Almeyda brought in two former River Plate fans’ favourites; striker Fernando Cavenaghi turned down a more lucrative offer from Brazil’s Internacional do Porto Alegre to rejoin his boyhood club, whilst fellow forward Alejandro ‘Chori’ Domínguez was repatriated from Valencia in Spain. Meanwhile the latest products of River’s much vaunted youth system, like Rogelio Funes Mori, Lucas Ocampos and Andrés Cirigliano, were given their chance in the first team.
Road Trip
After the comfort of playing the majority of their top flight games in the Greater Buenos Aires area, River also had to undertake a road trip taking them all round the interior of Argentina, from Puerto Madryn in the south to San Juan in the north-west and Corrientes in the north-east.
River were quick to adjust to their new surroundings in the B Nacional, winning their first three games before a 1-1 draw with Quilmes ended their 100% record. Two further draws were recorded as River fought tooth and nail with Instituto de Córdoba for top spot in the league table.
A hat-trick by Cavenaghi in the 7-1 demolition of Atlanta and his four goal salvo against Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy were the highlights of the first half of the season before the Millonarios started to wobble, drawing with Instituto and losing to Aldosivi, Atlético de Tucumán and Boca Unidos.
Two key signings made in the New Year transfer window for the second half of the season acted as the catalyst for River’s promotion charge. Argentine international Leonardo Ponzio added class and composure to the midfield, literally spilling blood for the cause as a haemorrhoidal fissure forced him to change his shorts four times in the penultimate home game with Boca Unidos. Meanwhile, the signing of French 1998 World Cup winning striker David Trezeguet, returning to the land of his forebears, added extra potency to the attack.
River’s season thus start gathering momentum as they put pressure on league leaders Instituto de Córdoba and Rosario Central, with Trezeguet made his mark scoring in the 3-0 win over Independiente de Rivadavia and the all- important home win over Instituto. As the season approached its close, a run of nervy draws against Aldosivi, Guillermo Brown and Rosario Central, and defeat in their penultimate match against Patronato – in which Chori Domínguez missed a penalty and begged for the forgiveness of River fans on Twitter – meant that their promotion challenge would go right to the wire.
Whilst battling for promotion, River were simultaneously making good progress, mostly with a reserve team, in the inaugural Copa Argentina. They reached the semi-final, where they were heartbreakingly eliminated by Racing Club de Avellaneda and denied a mouthwatering final encounter against their arch-rivals Boca Juniors.
One thing that the team had in the favour was the unwavering and fanatical support of their fans. At each ground they went to, from Puerto Madryn to Jujuy, the River following vastly outnumbered the home fans, whilst at home they sold more tickets in the second tier than Boca Juniors achieved in the top flight. After promotion was secured, Almeyda saluted the supporters, saying: “I want to thank the fans for their patience, and because they filled all the stadiums.”
River’s great challenge now will be to establish themselves once more at the top end of the first division table and secure qualification for the continental Copa de los Libertadores. It is no more than their long suffering supporters deserve.
