BUENOS AIRES :Ten-man River Plate missed an opportunity to take first place in Group B of the Argentine Primera Division Apertura tournament with a 2-0 home defeat to Estudiantes on Saturday.
River’s first defeat of the season left them third on 15 points, one behind second-placed Independiente, who have a game in hand. Rosario Central top the group with 17 points, despite Friday’s 1-0 loss at Boca Juniors.
“We played a good game. We stood firm when we had to and we were able to finish it off in the end,” Estudiantes forward Guido Carrillo told TNT Sports.
Estudiantes, who reclaimed top spot in Group A, went ahead after just nine minutes when Alexis Castro tapped in a cross from Tiago Palacios, following a brilliant run down the right wing by the Uruguayan.
River thought they had equalised just past the half-hour through a Paulo Diaz header, but the Chilean’s goal was disallowed for offside, while a shot by Franco Mastantuono was well saved by visiting goalkeeper Matias Mansilla before the break.
The hosts looked more threatening after the break but were dealt a blow in the 56th minute when Enzo Perez was shown a straight red card for a foul on Cristian Medina, leaving them a man down.
With River desperately pushing for a late equaliser, Estudiantes seized on a quick counter to seal the win as Santiago Ascacibar scored off a rebound from goalkeeper Franco Armani four minutes into stoppage time.
The victory “is a display of the team’s personality and character. In difficult matches, we have to show what we showed today,” Ascacibar said.
“We worked on these tactics during the week – we know that they press high, the counter-attacks were good – that has to be accurate and, well, it worked out for us.”
River next face Talleres in the domestic Super Cup on Wednesday. Estudiantes will play away at Defensa y Justicia on March 9.
