Velez Sarsfield vs. River Plate
July 17, 2022
The Stage
Round 8 of the Liga Profesional between two Buenos Aires sides: Velez Sarsfield and River Plate
The match is taking place at Velez Sarsfield’s Jose Amalfitani Stadium
Velez are currently 25th in the table, and River are 19th, 11 and 8 points from the top of the table respectively
The match has a little added spice besides the local rivalry because just under two weeks ago, Velez knocked River out of the Copa Libertadores following their 1-0 win in the Round of 16
Stadium firework display, plus the flares from the Velez fans, before kickoff make for a raucous atmosphere as the match starts
Velez fans didn’t hold back with their flares pre-kickoff
Key Moments
3:00 - River set the tone early with two attempts in the first three minutes, although both are off target
7:00 - Quick ball over the top from River’s right back, Casco, finds Simon down the right wing who beats his man, then squares the ball to an open Beltran for the tap in at the back post to make it 0-1. The Velez defense was far too casual allowing Simon to make the run, and leaving Beltran unmarked
13:00 - Velez have been jolted by the goal, as they are suddenly pressing with intensity and causing the River back line to make errors in possession
18:00 - Quick pass over River’s Pinola and Maidan at the back finds Bou, who took the gamble with his run. River keeper, Armani, attempts to dive on the ball, but fouls Bou instead gifting Velez a penalty
21:00 - After incessant complaining from River, Bou steps up and calmly puts away the penalty he earned to make it 1-1
30:00 - Almost against the run of play, River get a second after Simon flicks a header to the path of his teammate de la Cruz. The Uruguayan takes his goal really well with a first time sliced volley putting River ahead once again
43:00 - After a reckless pass at the back from River, Orellano pounces on the error and fires on goal only for Armani to make a big save, and keep River’s lead intact
Halftime - River lead 1-2. Quiet start from Velez, but since the opening goal they conceded they have responded energetically. River are playing more on the counter, and look dangerous doing so, but their defense has been prone to errors
51:00 - Former River player, now Velez’s captain, Lucas Pratto, comes close with a header that loops just over the crossbar
60:00 - Velez clearly the better side early in the second half with Janson trying a long range effort that Armani brilliantly saves
78:00 - As the match enters the final 15 minutes, Velez has enjoyed majority of the possession, but clear cut chances have been scarce especially with River sitting deeper and deeper as the clock winds down
90:00+3 - Late corner for Velez isn’t cleared effectively by River. The following play results in a cross across the face of goal, which none of the River players deal with, and it finds a free Osorio at the back post who taps in the late equalizer for Velez
Full time - Match ends 2-2. River started brightly, but got too lax after going up 1-2, and stopped pushing forward. Velez, meanwhile, did the opposite. After a turgid opening to the match, the hosts increased intensity, and were rewarded at the death with a deserved equalizer
Takeaways
Unlike their Copa Libertadores form, River’s approach in the league is much more energized. They committed players forward early in the match, and were rewarded with two early first half goals. The relatively high back line was caught unawares, however, with the ball over the top that resulted in Velez’s penalty/first goal. Shortly after this, River restored their lead, and almost instantly, Gallardo, River’s coach, became more conservative. This negative approach almost secured the narrow victory, but in the end it cost them when they invited far too much pressure from Velez
Gallardo (L) was far too reserved with his lead/tactics in the second half eventually dropping two points
Velez were far too slow to get into the match at the offset causing them to concede early. That said, they took more risks throughout the match especially after going down one goal. As the match went into the closing stages, they stopped playing on the ground as much and began using the height of Pratto in attack, which River struggled to contend with. It was this approach that began earning them set pieces towards the end with River making desperation clearances. Fortunately for Velez, one of the late corners is what resulted in their late equalizer
Awards
Man of the match - Santiago Simon. River’s right winger was almost unplayable, specifically in the first half. His runs/movement, combined with his skill on the ball, resulted in two assists, and a potential third, but the effort wasn’t converted. He led the match in chances created, but also had a crucial defensive clearance in injury time that denied Velez from scoring. Honorable mention - Armani. The River keeper kept his side in the match with four critical saves, but his concession of the penalty gives the edge to Simon
Simon was River’s creative spark
Best skill of the match - Luca Orellano nutmeg. As Velez searched for the equalizer in the second half, one of the key outlets in attack was Orellano. In the 62nd minute, as the attacking buildup play came to Orellano on the right wing, the forward cheekily flicked a pass through the legs of the River defender to his onrushing teammate Pratto. The presence of mind to keep the play flowing, knowing what skill was required to do so, and actually pulling it off, made this moment stand out above others