Superclásico Apertura 2010: live updates

My first superclásico in Argentina does not, sadly, mean I’ve got press accreditation for this one, but it does at least mean that I can watch the game on a proper telly and thus the updates here on HEGS will be closer to live than ever before. The match kicks off at 19:00 local time (that’s 22:00 Greenwich Mean Time), and there are no changes from the starting lineups posted here a few hours ago. There were incidents between the police and La Doce when the Boca barra brava arrived at the Monumental, leaving two injured. For live updates, click ‘Continue reading’ just below, and refresh the page every few minutes – I’ll try and type something even if nothing’s happening.

River Plate 1 – 0 Boca Juniors (FULL TIME)

93 mins: One last long ball from Boca, headed away by River, and it’s a free kick for the hosts. Carrizo takes it long, and the final whistle is blown. River beat Boca for the first time in a competitive super since 2007!

92 mins: Claudio Borghi does not look a happy man.

90 mins: As we enter stoppage time, Funes Mori’s closing down García and River are still determined to defend their lead from the front when possible. Boca continue with the long balls. 3 minutes added time will be played.

89 mins: Possibly Boca’s best chance of the night, blasted a mile wide by Viatri from outside the box.

87 mins: Funes Mori is brought down by Caruzzo, River have a free kick around 30 yards out (a little less) and the Boca defender is booked. Lamela to take the kick… inches over!

85 mins: Boca are now coming forward for almost the first time in the game, and River seem happy to let them. Viatri’s attempt at a header just then from Cellay’s long through perhaps demonstrates why, and it goes out for a goal kick.

84 mins: After promising build-up and a cross-field pass from Cristian Cellay, Monzón scuffs a truly pitiful attempt at a cross-shot straight out for a throw in.

81 mins: Pavone is down, hurt. A minute ago Manuel Lanzini and Rogelio Funes Mori were both being talked to by J.J. López, but River only have sub left – it comes now. Pavone off for Rogelio Funes Mori, who’s got the eyes of Europe on him for these last 8 minutes.

79 mins: Acevedo, of all players, was furthest forward to race onto Lamela’s through ball and, to the surprise of no-one, screw it a long way wide.

77 mins: Buonanotte’s booked for a silly little kick after being dispossessed. He’ll be suspended for River’s next match, against San Lorenzo.

75 mins: Arano’s introduction for Pereyra has in fact led to River playing a straight five across the back, with Almeyda and Acevedo guarding them additionally, and then Lamela and Buonanotte ahead of them supporting Pavone. Interesting formation, and if River through this game away now J.J. López might well be criticised for not putting Boca under more pressure, because River really should be more than one goal up from the dominance they’ve had.

73 mins: Free kick for Boca from the left touchline, high and hanging but easily claimed by Carrizo.

71 mins: Ariel Ortega is applauded from the pitch, and Diego Buonanotte replaces him. His pace, at this point in the game, might be crucial. He’s looked a lot better coming off the bench this season than when he’s started.

70 mins: Corner for Boca following a cock-up from someone in River’s midfield, and Diego Buonanotte is about be sent into the fray…

68 mins: Chávez has a fairly weak volley from well outside the area held by Carrizo after a knock-down from Palermo. And River again go up the other end.

66 mins: Pereyra off for Carlos Arano for River. A tactical change which will see River shift to three centre backs, with Ferrari and I suspect Arano operating as wing backs. Pereyra deserves his ovation, he’s run as hard as any River player tonight.

63 mins: Apparently, he will do! And Fabián Monzón will come on for Jesús Méndez. Boca looking for more width, and the slow & slower combo of Viatri & Palermo up front.

61 mins: Two changes being prepared for Boca. Lucas Viatri is one of them. If he replaces Mouche, River’s defenders can stop worrying about having to run too hard…

59 mins: Free kick for Boca, in a dangerous position. It’s scrappily cleared away from a throw-in.

56 mins: Ferrari latches on to a great pass from Pavone, cuts in from the right and centres back for Pereyra to send a shot narrowly wide from 20 yards. River are in the ascendancy.

53 mins: GOL DE RIVER! Maidana, the former Boca defender, gets a totally free header in the middle of the box and puts the hosts ahead!

53 mins: Corner for River again…

52 mins: Penalty shout for River a minute ago. Ortega tried to knock it past the defender, but it hit his arm from point blank range and could hardly be described as intentional.

50 mins: In case anyone had forgotten, Pablo Mouche reminds the world what a moron he is with a totally unnecessary ‘tackle’ on Ferrari that hurts the River man and gets him a yellow card.

47 mins: Lamela takes it and forces a cracking save from García, just under the bar. Corner for River.

46 mins: After spending the first minute in their own half, River break forward with a ball to Pavone, who’s brought down for a free kick on the right wing, around 28 yards from the goal line.

Second half: One change, for Boca: Riquelme is replaced by Cristian Chávez. No changes for River.

Half time thoughts: So far, River have been totally dominant without actually being all that much better than in recent weeks. J.J. López has clearly got them fired up though, and crucially they look a lot more balanced than they have done in a long time with Matías Almeyda and Walter Acevedo letting the more advanced players get forward without leaving spaces all over the place further back. That being said, the hosts are being helped enormously by a performance from Juan Román Riquelme for Boca that’s so poor that I – watching this wearing a River shirt – almost feel sorry for him. It’s not been a match of an awful lot of football so far, but it has at least had plenty to hold the interest, unlike a lot of games involving one or the other of these two sides recently.

45 mins: The free kick was a shot, ridiculously, and went straight to Juampi Carrizo. Baldassi whistles for half time.

44 mins: Not much going on but running around on the pitch now. River attack, Boca tackle and clear, River come back at them. The pattern has yet to be broken. Riquelme once again dispossessed, but this time illegally. Free kick around the centre circle.

41 mins: Lamela just had a good run at Boca’s defence but no support from his team-mates. Followed by another long ball towards Martín Palermo from Boca, who have clearly realised Riquelme’s as much use as a chocolate teapot.

38 mins: Ortega is fouled in the midfield, and River have a free kick a few yards inside the Boca half. Acevedo sends it straight into García’s hands.

36 mins: Riquelme might as well not have been on the pitch so far, whereas Ortega for River is having a pretty decent game. Nine minutes remaining of the first half, though, and both are having the same effect on the scoreline…

35 mins: Lamela and Pereyra combine down River’s left, again excitingly but again to no effect, and the ball ends up flying over the crossbar.

34 mins: Replays show Maidana having his shirt pulled big time at River’s last corner. That was a penalty, had it been seen.

30 mins: River continue to pressure from all sides, Ortega having a shot saved before Lamela tries to burst from midfield to no effect. They’ve now got a corner.

27 mins: Wow. Walter Acevedo, a player who’s shown very little hint that he knows what a football looks like since joining River, has just absolutely smashed a free kick from at least 35 yards, and forced a great save from García in the Boca goal.

25 mins: Boca have a penalty shout as Martín Palermo goes down apparently pushed by Adalberto Román. This comes as Palermo had wrapped his arms round Román to stop him jumping just before the cross came in. Héctor Baldassi turns the call down.

24 mins: Great work from Pereyra down the River left, but again the final ball is cleared.

23 mins: A few long balls coming into the game now. Insaurralde (I think) has just dumped Pavone on the ground contesting one, but it’s play on.

20 mins: Paulo Ferrari arrives in the kind of position we’d expect from Mariano Pavone, and puts the best chance of the match by a mile into the sky with his weaker (left) foot. River should be 1-0 up right now.

19 mins: Lacking precision going forward, but it’s impossible to escape the thought that if River had put this much effort into their pressing of the opposition for the first 13 matches, Ángel Cappa might still be in a job.

16 mins: Pereyra wins the ball for River in midfield and bursts forward, starting a bit of River pressure, but nothing comes of it. Moments later, Erik Lamela rides a couple of challenges before putting a curling shot just wide of the right post from 25 yards. That was almost a golazo.

13 mins: A long ball from Boca’s defence goes out for a River goal kick, but all eyes are on the touchline, where Cristian Chávez is warming up to replace Riquelme.

10 mins: The ball is played to Riquelme, and it bounces off him, not for the first time. His touch has temporarily deserted him.

9 mins: Boca’s first corner of the match… Cleared after a bit of a fluster in the River defence.

7 mins: They’ve just shown the Boca bench. A kid called Scarparoni is the substitute goalie – Claudio Borghi’s fall-out with Cristian Lucchetti must have been serious. There have been whispers in the runup to the game that regardless of the result, it’ll be Borghi’s last in charge of Boca.

6 mins: Boca have their first chance, as Pablo Mouche is outmuscled and the ball’s cleared by Adalberto Román for a throw in.

5 mins: Nothing comes of the corner, and Javier García in the Boca goal has an easy clearance from hands.

4 mins: First corner of the game, for River.

3 mins: Mariano Pavone with the first proper chance of the evening, blasting just wide from an Ariel Ortega pass from outside the box.

2 mins: Boca’s kick off turns into early River pressure but it definitely looks like the expected four-man River backline. Jesús Méndez has a shot for Boca from halfway which Juan Pablo Carrizo in River’s goal chests down and clears.

19:00: And they’re off!

Canal 7 reckon River are going with a three-man backline, effectively a 3-2-3-2, with Paulo Ferrari in the wide right attacking midfield position as opposed to his usual right back role in the four-man defence. They’ve got Erik Lamela playing in the middle, behind Ortega and Pavone. The personnel for both teams are the same as already reported, though.

18:50: counting down to kick off… ten minutes to go!

You can follow the daily ins and outs during the 2010 Apertura, as well Argentine clubs in the Copa Sudamericana, the country’s vast foreign legion and the latest news from the selección during the 2010-2011 season direct from Buenos Aires with HEGS on Twitter. If you’ve not signed up yet you can do so here. You can also join the official HEGS Facebook group, to keep up to date with the latest posts on the blog and discuss things with other fans. You’ll find it here. Also remember to bookmark Hand Of Pod, which as of tomorrow evening (gremlins permitting) will be home to a brand new Argentine football podcast.

Photo taken from canchallena.com