River Plate – Argentinos Jrs: River Plate get their First Clausura win for the Season (2-0)

River Plate’s first half performance gave them the foundation to build on a resilient second half performance. Argentinos’ lack of attacking solutions in the first half made it easier for River Plate to get a grip on the game. Argentinos’ late second half surge wasn’t enough to get them back in the game.

Tactical analysis and match report by Ebuka Ogoegbunam.

Coming into this game, River Plate had failed to score in any of the games in the Clausura this season. After the loss to Tigre, they had gone winless in their opening four games. In front of their home fans, they had to face an Argentinos side, who had won all their games in this Clausura season so far.

Argentinos are known for their attacking prowess. They had scored nine goals in the opening four games, showing their strength in the final third. However, River Plate had something to prove in front of their fans, knowing how quickly a win can kick-start their season.

Santiago Beltrán started in goal for River Plate. Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolás Otamendi, Lucas Martínez Quarta and Francisco Ortega made the back four. Aníbal Moreno and Tobías Andrada played in the midfield behind a front line of Ángel Correa as the attacking midfielder, and a front three of Thiago Almada, Joaquín Freitas, and Lucas Beltrán.

For Argentinos, Brayan Cortés started as the keeper in goal behind a backline of Kevin Coronel, Francisco Álvarez, Franco Vázquez and Sebastián Prieto. The three man midfield consisted of Nicolás Oroz, Kevin Gutiérrez and Alan Lescano. Hernán López Muñoz, Emiliano Viveros and Tomás Molina were the front three for Argentinos Jrs.

Fullbacks key for River Plate

River Plate’s setup was an attacking one. A back four with fullbacks high while holding the width. The fullbacks often rotated with the wingers to occupy the half spaces and wide areas. The left hand side of River Plate had the fullback occupy the wide areas most of the time, while Almada/Correa was allowed to roam into central areas.

Argentinos defended in a 4-1-4-1 mid block when they were without the ball. Gutiérrez was the lone midfielder sitting in defensive midfield screening the center of the pitch. The Argentinos midfielders were tasked to track the runs of the wingers who were positioned inside to avoid overload in the last line.

River’s attack stemmed mostly from wide areas. At times, when the winger received the ball in these areas, the fullbacks loved making attacking overlapping runs to get crosses in the box.

River Plate’s attacking shape in possession.

River’s opening goal came from the attacking mindset of the fullbacks. Montiel made a narrow run inside in the box. After a blocked shot was deflected to his path, Montiel placed the ball into the back of the net from close range. River scored their first goal of the Clausura but the initial move was initiated by Correa’s positioning in the pockets.

This was then followed by Almada’s deflected shot which led to Montiel’s goal.

River Plate’s first goal. The fullbacks were influential in this sequence with Montiel finishing the move off.

River’s press gave control

River Plate pressed in a 4-1-3-2 shape, high up the pitch before dropping into a 4-4-2 mid block. Correa and Beltran led the press with both wingers joining Andrada in the second line of the press. Moreno sat in the defensive midfield area.

For Argentinos, it was about attacking the backline with numbers. The wingers were narrow alongside the striker. The proximity between Argentinos’ forwards would enable quicker interaction and combination with more pressure and numbers against the defensive line.

However, their 4-1-3-2 press forced Argentinos to go long from goalkicks. Argentinos went long with their forwards continuously failing to cope with River’s center backs in Otamendi and Quarta. River used second balls to regain momentum and push back their opponent.

River Plate’s high press from goalkicks. River plate forced Argentinos to go long where they won lots of second balls.

In possession Argentinos set up in a 3-2-5 shape, Gutiérrez dropped into the first line of build up, while the fullbacks pushed to attack their flanks. Lescano and Oroz were the double pivots. The wingers moved inside, similar to River Plate’s setup. River defended in a 4-4-2 when they were forced to defend low. This didn’t stop them from putting pressure and trying to force turnovers.

Argentinos 3-2-5 shape in possession. Fullbacks high and keeping the width while wingers were positioned in the half spaces.

Argentinos on the ball lacked final third intent in the first half. They had few numbers in the attacking line and found it hard to combine between themselves. Failure in this eased the game for River Plate when defending. The fullbacks didn’t impose much threat in the first half in wide areas. Whenever they got into these wide areas for a cross, they lacked execution to put in a good ball into the box for the strikers.

Argentinos’ second half fight

In the second half, River Plate decided to sit back and defend their lead. Instead of putting pressure on the Argentinos center backs, the forwards covered the passing lanes to the double pivots, leaving the center backs with no pressure. River Plate shifted to a slightly defensive shape making their wingers join the backline to defend Argentinos’ fullbacks.

This would add more numbers to the defensive line but this made River concede momentum in the second half. Argentinos improved in terms of their central play in this phase of the game. They got more entries between the lines and tried to initiate more in the final third. This momentum generated half chances and even a goal that was disallowed for offside.

Argentinos accessed the central zones more in the second half after River Plate’s defensive approach.

Attacking substitutions made the game more energetic as time went by. Argentinos pressured for the equalizer while River looked for the spaces on the counter. River’s ability to survive late in the game gave them life to kill off the game, which they eventually did. Correa’s darting run on the left side of the pitch allowed him to get fouled in the box. After a VAR check, the referee confirmed the penalty kick. Correa’s penalty late on sealed River Plate’s first Clausura win this season.

Takeaways

River Plate finally have their first Clausura victory of the season, and the 2-0 win over Argentinos Juniors could prove to be an important turning point after a difficult start. They delivered a composed first-half performance, taking advantage of Argentinos’ limited attacking threat while using their high press and wide attacking rotations to control the game.

The opening goal reflected River’s attacking approach, with Gonzalo Montiel finishing a move that began with Ángel Correa’s positioning between the lines and continued through Thiago Almada’s effort. River’s fullbacks were particularly influential throughout the first half, providing width and making overlapping runs that helped stretch the Argentinos defence. Their pressing also prevented Argentinos from building comfortably, forcing them into long balls that River repeatedly won through second balls.

Argentinos, meanwhile, struggled to reproduce the attacking quality that had seen them score nine goals across their first four matches. Their first-half possession lacked enough numbers and combinations in the final third, while their wide players struggled to provide consistent quality from crossing positions. However, they showed greater attacking intent after the break. River’s decision to sit deeper allowed Argentinos to access central areas more frequently, creating half-chances and even producing a disallowed goal.

Ultimately, River’s ability to withstand the late pressure proved decisive. Argentinos pushed for an equaliser, but River remained dangerous on the counter before Correa won a late penalty that he converted to seal the victory. For Argentinos, it is their first setback after an excellent opening run, but their improved second-half response offers something to build on going forward.

Match plots will be added as soon as possible.