Last night’s reduced match at the Monumental – suspended on Saturday June 3 due to the tragic death of fan Pablo Marcelo Serrano – could throw up a theory. Unverifiable, but theory at last: if you play less time, you play better. River and Defensa y Justicia played two 32-minute periods with an intensity more typical of the English Premier League than of the Argentine Professional League.
In fact, the first half was a constant back and forth, almost without interruptions and endless goal situations, both in the goal defended by Unsain and in Armani’s. Why it happened? To a large extent, because River and Defensa are one of the best teams in Argentine soccer, not only because of the points they show in the table, but also because of a game concept: associations between their midfielders, transitions and an inalienable intention to attack.
River was closer and had its main danger plays at the feet of Beltrán, a striker who in the last month has shown growth in play and attitude that is making him gain undisputed ownership in Demichelis’s team. It is as if the youth had consolidated his entire offensive repertoire.
River also had Nacho Fernández, turned into one more striker, who almost couldn’t celebrate: in the first half the stick prevented him and in the second he couldn’t hit him squarely in a volley.
Everything seemed to be heading to zero to zero, a result that excited the Cordovan T and the Cyclone a little. But River, this Demichelis River, finally got it right at 13 in the second half, after deserving it for a long time. It was due to a play that De la Cruz started and ended, and which had the key participation – due to a low back cross – from Solari.
The 1-0 did not cut the rhythm. River kept going and generating situations –Unsain took a double from Barco at the end–, but Defense was not resigned to tie it either. In fact, Solari – the brother of River’s, who plays for Florencio Varela’s club – was about to tie it. His shot hit the side of the net. It was the last gasp of a frantic match, which approved River as the best team in the League: they played well, deserved to win and kept three key points to move away and head towards the title. Now, he takes seven points from Talleres and ten from San Lorenzo. A distance that seems definitive.