CÓRDOBA (special envoy).- A super classic that did honor to the presence of the two fans after more than five years. Divided climate in the stands, spectacle with revolutions at a thousand on the field. Happiness and pain. Triumph and defeat. Folklore at its best. The superclásico was a volcano of emotions, adrenaline in abundance. And with a football balance, of course, that’s why they met Boca and River, beyond all the environmental effervescence.
The balance was that the Boca flood took the form of a wave that ended up covering River, It plunged him into restlessness and helplessness. The symptoms of evolution in the last games were not only confirmed, he took another step, he grew as a team. He did it with football and character, a combo to justify illusions. The 3-2 may suggest a close result that was not such because Boca faced the final half hour with the cushion that had been given by the two rolls that it caused to River with the goals from Cavani and Merentiel. Two knockout blows for Demichelis’ team, beyond Paulo Díaz’s injury time in the 52nd minute.
Boca wins medals: it reversed a disadvantage, as had already happened against San Lorenzo and Racing. Cavani prolonged his full adaptation to Argentine football. With a header he made it 2-1, his ninth goal in the last nine games. He takes away from the fans “sick, sick” which also targets Merentiel, author of a double, another Uruguayan, powerful and stubborn in front of goal.
Demichelis’ undefeated streak against Boca was ended. It was on an afternoon in which his team did not assume control of the game as usual, did not manage the 1-0 score well and fell into forced errors -by Herrera and González Pirez- in the face of pressure from Boca who paid with two goals.
When the VAR did not award the goal because its authorities considered that the ball did not completely cross the line in Romero’s blow, River went off. At 1-1, the earnings of Lanzini and Barco were far from improving the performance of Nacho Fernández and Echeverri. The minutes it took River to adjust to the reformulated midfield were the ones that Boca took advantage to shake him. He did it with the helm of Equi Fernández, the criteria of Pol Fernández, the incisive left foot of Zenón, the projections of the sides and, of course, the Uruguayan attacking duo to shoot with aim.
River attracted him to Boca in the first half, he let it come, going a bit against his script of taking the initiative. This version of Diego Martínez’s team, which tries to be more proactive with the ball – a deficit that became evident in previous superclassics – accepted the invitation and stood in the rival field. Their midfielders handled the ball more, but the advances were repeated in crossed centers that found the River defense well stopped for rebounds.
Demichelis’ team tricked their rival into a trap. Paulo Díaz blocked a frontal pass and from there drilled Boca through the central axis, with a notable pass from Nacho González to Echeverri. Mouth was open and dislocated. The youthful hook faced Colidio and Borja, recipient of the assist, with passing options. The Colombian, taken care of during the week due to an overload, defined with the certainty that he has him as the top scorer (13) of the tournament.
Boca felt the impact, doubts entered his mind. Being more ambitious he had received a slap in the face. He had to make adjustments because in the need to go for the tie he could not allow himself to fall behind. Rojo was having a terrible afternoon: he was late at the intersections, he was insecure. River felt more comfortable with the development, the withdrawal allowed it to find spaces for the leadership of Echeverri and the unchecking of Borja and Colidio.
It took a while, but Boca recomposed itself, it didn’t sink emotionally, with legs and head it got back into the game. A free kick from Zenón, who had left the role of enanche to lie on the left, went next to a post. The first half had its oddities, there were not many dangerous shots, but there was a feeling of danger when the actions approached the area.
The first half discount began to be played and The superclassic began to take a turn from which there would be no return. All in favor of Boca, and also due to Boca’s merit. After verifying the ineffectiveness of the frontal centers, he applied the formula that had given him the goal at the Monumental. That time it was Blanco’s overflow and definition of Medina; Now, reaching the bottom of Advíncula, who took a couple of marks, and passed to Merentiel, who, surrounded by rival players, took the left foot shot to make it 1-1. The history of the superclassic was beginning to be rewritten.
The second stage was a roller coaster, since at 3 minutes, Pol Fernández’s clearance that bounced off Lema seemed to have been a goal against, which the VAR, after a long deliberation, did not validate. River remained installed in that play, while Boca moved towards a victory that was achieved through conviction, football merits and the accumulated desire I had to beat River after not having done so in the three previous superclásicos (two losses and a draw). That force of will, accompanied by a more established line of play, took him to the semifinals, where Estudiantes await him. In the superclassic of the two fans, Boca took everything.