Gallardo’s shout at Juanfer Quintero during the match went unseen on TV | OneFootball

The stern expression Marcelo Gallardo displayed from the opening whistle foretold that River’s night was going to end very badly. And so it did: a penalty shootout defeat against Independiente Rivadavia, with the final kick taken by Sebastián Villa, and elimination in the semifinals of the Copa Argentina. Furious after another heavy blow in his tenure, the coach held nothing back in the press conference. But he didn’t hold back earlier either, in the technical area at the Kempes, where he had a heated exchange with Juan Fernando Quintero.

Visibly upset because the Millonario couldn’t find a way to break down a well-organized Lepra side in Córdoba during the first half, the “Muñeco” exploded after a poorly executed attack and ended up arguing with the Colombian midfielder, one of those responsible for orchestrating play and supplying the forwards, who were struggling to make an impact.

The TyC Sports cameras captured the coach’s fury up close, as he urged his player to link up more with his teammates. “Come on, come on!” he shouted, arms wide open, from the bench. And the number 10 tried to justify his decision to shoot at goal: “I missed one, man.”

Minutes after the argument, and as has been happening in previous matches, Gallardo took him off the field and replaced him with Maximiliano Meza with half an hour left to play. Unlike the last substitution against Talleres, when he was visibly frustrated and shouted insults into the air, this time Quintero lowered his head and left without making a single gesture.

River’s coach took it out on the Madrid hero, affected by the lackluster performance of his teammates, but the truth is that it was just a spark that stayed on the pitch. A common bit of roughness, like any other in a match. The two have a close relationship; Gallardo opened the doors of the club to him in all three of his spells, and Quintero considers him a “father.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.