River Plate sealed their qualification in the round of 16 of Libertadores Cup by beating The Strongest 2-0 with goals from midfielder Rodrigo Aliendro and Colombian striker Miguel Ángel Borja on the sixth and final day of Group D.
With about 13 minutes to play, Aliendro opened the scoring for the Millonarios with a shot from grass level that left visiting goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra with no choice. The tabby team came out determined to tie the match, although River’s quick changes of play and control of the ball complicated the situation for the team led by Portuguese Ricardo Formosinho.
Despite the offensive strategy of The Strongest, the interventions of the Argentine goalkeeper Franco Armani prevented the collapse of River, whose coach, Martín Demichelis, tried to maintain a script with a strict care of the defense in the background to avoid surprises.
It was in the second half that the chances increased, even the lack of effectiveness of both teams, in a rivalry fought for every meter of the field, occurred the Paraguayan defender of River, Robert Rojas, who had to retire injured by the farm.
Near the end, striker Pablo Solari, who came to change the course of the game, broke away on the right side and sent a cross that triggered a series of rebounds between the goalkeeper and the attackers to finished at the feet of Borja, who scored. with the second goal and ensured the classification in eighth.
River finished second in their group stage with 10 points. This year the second of the eight groups of the Copa Sudamericana will play a ‘playoff’ with the third of each tied in the Libertadores. The eight who prevail in this round trip will advance to the eighth.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
