River Plate may have taken a step towards getting knocked out during a chaotic 0-0 draw with Nacional de Montevideo on Tuesday night, but their fans can console themselves with a small morsel of comfort – at least they can’t, whatever happens, be knocked out again by San Lorenzo. Miguel Angel Russo’s side needed a win in San Luis Potosí, and lost 2-0. The manager might be heading for the exit before long…
Media mogul and San Lorenzo backer Mauricio Tinelli had said in the buildup to the game that for his club – the only one of Argentina’s ‘Big Five’ never to have won the Copa – to be eliminated this early would be ‘a disaster’. That comment, combined with this result, is already leading to speculation that Russo could be on the way out, but his side did their best, initially at least.
Néstor Silvera and Gonzalo Bergessio narrowly missed good opportunities within a couple of minutes of each other during the first half, as San Lorenzo applied the pressure in searching for the win they needed, but the closing moments of the first half effectively sealed San Lorenzo’s fate. First, Jesús Palacios opened the scoring for the Mexicans with a spectacular header, and a minute later Silvera saw red for kicking out at full back Omar Monjaraz, who was given the same punishment for returning the favour.
One goal down at the break and reduced to ten men, the half-time introduction of Alejandro Gómez didn’t do anything to help San Lorenzo – this wasn’t River they were playing, after all. Both sides missed good chances again, before José Reyes, midway through the second half, hammered the final nail into the coffin by scoring San Luis’s second, again with a header. The result leaves San Lorenzo bottom of Group 8 and out of the competition. San Luis, for their part, can only qualify if they beat Libertad in two weeks’ time and San Lorenzo beat Universitario, who as things stand will go through if their three points (plus three goals) advantage isn’t overturned.
Copa Libertadores 2009, group 8, 8th March: San Luis Potosí (MEX) 2 – 0 San Lorenzo
Hasta El Gol Siempre 
River are shocking, its been the same old since 2005. Things may get better when Aguilar leaves, but at the moment I cant see them doing anything. They havent come close to the libertadores since 2004, granted they won the 2008 Clausura, but if the league reverts to a standard play each team twice formula they will never win, because they’d have to win more than 2 away games!! Such a shame for such a massive club!!
Russo IS officially out, he quit
San Lorenzo players were insulted, pushed around and even spit at by angry ‘fans’ waiting for them at the Ezeiza international airport.
Horrible scenes of these barrabravas telling them all to leave the club they have dishonour with their performances.
Shame on those thugs. They keep damaging our football.
I wonder who Tinelli will hire as San Lorenzo’s new coach ?
If he hires one of those pole-dancing brunettes, I’ll get a San Lorenzo season-ticket!
I saw some video of the San Lorenzo jackasses confronting the players, I guess at Ezeiza. Thoroughly disgusting. In order to love football in Argentina, you almost have to be in denial about the barrabravas and the shit they do, and get away with. Otherwise, if you truly considered how deeply ingrained in the system they are, and how repulsive the whole phenomenon is, you would just say “screw this mess !”.