The “200 pepinelis”. Borja’s gesture that made a River fan burst into tears and the explanation for the special shirt

River won again. He ended the streak of four consecutive draws that bothered him so much. The 2-0 against Independiente Rivadavia, from Mendoza, at the Monumental stadium, was a reassuring result that places them, by goal difference, at the top of Group A. The team led by Martin Demichelis He was far from showing a solvent performance: he looked good during the first half and was too dispersed in the second. But, beyond the ups and downs, it exhibited an outstanding piece above the rest. Miguel Borjathe Colombian striker, scored both goals and was unbalanced.

It was a very special night for the attacker born in the town of Tierralta, in the Colombian Caribbean region. With the first goal against the Mendoza team, he reached 200 goals in his professional career. Therefore, after the scoring header that beat goalkeeper Gonzalo Marinelli, the hummingbird He ran to the millionaire substitute bench, they handed him a shirt with the number 200 and he showed it to the River audience. He then hit a ball off the crossbar in a shot in the six-yard box. And he made it 2-0: Pablo Solari looked for him, he finished and the shot deflected off Gastón Gil Romero.

Miguel Borja dominating the ball against Independiente RivadaviaManuel Cortina

The special t-shirt that Borja wore at the celebration said “200 pepinelis.” What did that word refer to? The forward himself explained it after the game, on ESPN: “It’s a saying from Tierralta, from my town. A friend, Gerardo, always told me that he had to score one pepineli, two pepinelis, three… So the celebration was thinking about that, about that message he left me two weeks ago. The 200th goal, actually, I scored the other day in Córdoba (against Talleres), but I didn’t want to take out the shirt there, I wanted to do it at the Monumental. So now I have 202. Praise God for that. “I want to surpass the 39 goals in one year that I scored in 2016, that is my goal.”

The “200 pepinelis” t-shirt

In his first goal vs. Independiente Rivadavia, Borja reached 200 “pepinelis” (goals) in his career and celebrated it with a special shirt at the Más Monumental. pic.twitter.com/sColUyjJBP

— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) March 7, 2024

Last night, in the first half, the Colombian was left sore on the pitch and alarmed all the fans, especially because he has just recovered from an injury that did not have him at 100% in the superclásico against Boca and, because next Wednesday, River will play the Argentine Super Cup against Estudiantes, in Córdoba. However, the forward expressed tranquility: “I came from a blow in the Córdoba game, they just hit me there again, but it’s just a blow.”

Borja considered that River, beyond the ups and downs, continues without losing in the season: “We have to be clear that we are not playing alone, that the rival team comes out with motivation, but we are also clear that we are undefeated during the year and we are powerful”.

After the game against Independiente Rivadavia, Borja stayed on the playing field giving an interview and, before leaving for the locker room, he took off his sweatshirt and gave it to a woman who was in the audience, with a sign that said: “ Borja, idol.” The lady was moved by the Colombian’s gesture, she burst into tears and, as best she could, expressed: “It’s the first time I came to the field. “I feel great emotion.”

The Hummingbird gift that thrilled a fan

Demichelis, during the press conference, highlighted the Colombian gunner’s present: “Last year we ended up using the 5-flyer system a lot. In the first part of the year Lucas Beltrán appeared. In the second semester Miguel and Rondón, like Solari and Colidio, alternated, but we continued with 5 midfielders. Until the quarterfinals he played the same amount as Salomón. Then he got injured and came back for the final. Seeing him day by day in training, he had no doubt that at the beginning of the year, where energy and opportunities are renewed, having a good preseason, he was going to be able to contribute many goals. Today he is proving it.”

THE NATION

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River WorldMiguel BorjaLeague Cup 2024

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