The VAR gives it and the VAR takes it out
In 2018, River Plate embarked on a memorable comeback in Brazil and reached the CONMEBOL Libertadores Cup final with the help of a controversial penalty awarded by the VAR against Guild. On Tuesday, the appeal of video assistance to the referee was the main opponent of the Argentine giants while they failed to complete their rescue operation. After losing 3-0 at home last week to Brazilian club Palmeiras, River won the return match 2-0, and in the review there could have been some complaints if they had scored enough goals to reach the final.
Feeling a huge relief, Palmeiras will now be able to celebrate as if it were 1999 – the previous time he won the competition – while waiting for the winner of the other semifinal between his local rivals, Sants, and the Argentine team, Boca Juniors .
Palmeiras flirted with disaster, and much of that was his own responsibility. Abel Ferreira was the replacement – worked in Buenos Aires, although his team tried their luck in the first half. However, it was not the right choice for this match. Right-back Marcos Rocha was deployed more than anything as a central defender on the right, a role that doesn’t feel too good for him. Under pressure – Palmeiras was under pressure almost the entire game – he was left with a bottom of five, leaning on his counterattack ability, but seeing himself deprived of possession while River aimed to get the ball close to the goal. ‘arc. Palmeiras was outscored in numbers in midfield, allowing River to accelerate. And, just like last week, he was reloaded on his right, giving up too much space to River’s right-back predator Gonzalo Montiel.
There were brief sparks of danger from Palmeiras strikers Luiz Adriano and Rony, but River spent most of the match making passes through the middle of the Brazilian field, and from the start the defense of the local team was unfolded lengthwise and widthwise.
River managed to score two goals before half time. Central defender Robert Rojas headed the ball from a corner, and then Nico De La Cruz was on a cross that hooked Matías Suárez so that Rafael Santos I erased would get behind Rocha and score the second.
At the break, Ferreira took the attacking midfielder, Gustavo Scarpa, and brought in Breno Lopes, giving a clear message that his intention was to defend and take advantage of the counterattack.
But that never happened.
It was one-way traffic, and shortly after the restart, River tied the overall score – or so it seemed at the time.. After the ball was lifted in from the left, Fabrizio Angileri was on his own in the home side’s penalty area and should have scored after 79 minutes, but missed, probably due to lack of concentration. And then the VAR show kicked off. After a long wait, due to an offside discovered in a previous move, the goal was invalidated.
As River’s pressure increased, Ferreira finally made the change to secure his midfield, passing Gabriel Menino from the side to have three in the center and allow Breno Lopes to take charge of the side. This stirred the tide and the issue seemed to have turned decisively in Palmeiras ’favor within the last 20 minutes when River suffered Rojas’ expulsion. This was another controversial decision, but it was not one favored by the VAR. Rojas’s second yellow card was more of a clumsy shock before a cynical foul, but Uruguayan referee Esteban Ostojich pulled off the red card. Palmeiras had accumulated cards and some players, especially midfielder Danilo, were on the loose. But River was the team that came up with a minus, playing with 10.
Surprisingly, it didn’t make a difference when it came to the approach of the game. Palmeiras were more comfortable on the counterattack – last week, they didn’t take advantage of the half hour against a team of 10 when they could have defined the match – but they were pushed to the bottom anyway. Soon a penalty for River arrived, with Suárez falling before the attack of Alan Empereur. Montiel was preparing to be sent off when the VAR intervened and determined, perhaps correctly, that there had been very little or no contact, and that Suárez had dropped earlier, in search of the foul.
But River continued. Weverton in the Palmeiras bow was busy and, when he was overtaken on the post, he was lucky to have a man on the line who could go to his rescue.
There was time for more controversy with the VAR in the tenth minute of overtime. Saints I erased being behind the substitute defender, Benjamin Kuscevic, and fell awkwardly. It was awkward. But was it a foul? The referee turned to the screen again.
A very important definition was about to be taken, but, no doubt for the relief of the referee, another offside was discovered at the beginning of the play and Palmeiras, although the blows, managed to come out on top. . His chance to achieve glory will come on January 30th.
Tuesday night, however, most of the glory was for River Plate. If this becomes the end – as has been speculated – of the six and a half years of the reign of coach Marcelo Gallardo, then he will leave with very good results, regretting that it could not have been a little more to be able to finish up tonight.