Montiel header gives River win over Barracas in Apertura opener | OneFootball

River Plate won 1-0 against Barracas Central with a goal from Gonzalo Montiel, starting the 2026 Apertura Tournament on the right foot.

After a very poor 2025, in which they failed to achieve any of their goals, the Millionaires kicked off at the Chiqui Tapia Stadium, introducing all their new signings: Matías Viña, Aníbal Moreno, and Fausto Vera, who had gained minutes in the preseason friendlies, made their official debut with the red band, as did goalkeeper Santiago Beltrán, replacing the injured Franco Armani.

Tomás Galván, who returned to Núñez after four loans, also started, positioning himself ahead of Moreno and Vera and trying to connect with Juanfer Quintero, the most active player in Marcelo Gallardo's team at the start of the season.

Danger came from the Colombian's feet in the first half, first with a touch to Galván, who chipped it over the goalkeeper Miño and left the ball for Vera, who, when finishing, encountered what seemed to be Campi's hand, in the big controversy of the afternoon.

Neither referee Ramírez nor the VAR considered it a penalty, and the game continued after the Millionaires' protests, with the visitors monopolizing ball possession and the home team, led by Rubén Darío Insúa, holding on with a well-organized back five and trying to capitalize on every counterattack opportunity.

Thus, Toro Morales, a former Boca player, had a chance in River's area, but his shot went wide, and at the other end, Driussi—accompanied by Colidio, with Salas starting on the bench—tested Miño, who reacted brilliantly to the forward's volley after a good cross from Viña.

Although Gallardo's team seemed to control the game, it didn't translate into danger. There were few goal-scoring opportunities and many problems finding passes beyond the three-quarters of the field, one of their major shortcomings in 2025.

What initially seemed like a more pronounced dominance gradually faded, and despite some attempts by Juanfer, always looking to receive and open up the field, the first half ended goalless.

Heading into the second half, neither Gallardo nor Insúa made substitutions, and Morales had the first clear chance with a shot from outside the area that Beltrán saved comfortably.

But gradually, River brought the game closer to Miño's goal, and what they couldn't solve on the ground, they did in the air, thanks to Juanfer Quintero's excellent delivery, who took a free kick and sent a great cross to the far post, where Gonzalo Montiel appeared and scored the 1-0 in the 59th minute.

Immediately after, Gallardo made his first substitutions: he brought on Subiabre, one of the preseason revelations, and Galoppo, replacing Colidio and Vera, keeping Moreno, the most consistent in midfield.

Galoppo, a specialist in arriving late, shot poorly from the edge of the area, and minutes later Subiabre, the other substitute, received an excellent pass from Quintero but got tangled: he delayed his shot, then tried to assist, and in the end only won a corner.

The Barracas fans rose to cheer on their team, which had to go on the offensive due to the scoreline, but even with the 1-0, River maintained complete control.

Puig, Guaraz, and Duarte were Insúa's choices to try to change the course of the game, while Gallardo's last moves were Salas and Lencina, replacing Quintero and Galván, two of those who tried the hardest to create play, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, but always trying.

When the match seemed to end without further excitement, as Beltrán wasn't even tested on the hot and sunny afternoon at Chiqui Tapia Stadium, Insúa made his final changes: Rak and Taborda.

And particularly the newcomer from Independiente, moments after stepping onto the field, crafted a great play on the left and almost equalized the score: his shot was intercepted, and a teammate's shot was too.

On the other side, with the home team more committed on the field, Miño stood tall against Driussi, and Salas missed an incredible goal in the six-yard box.

The passivity that had set in with the 1-0 suddenly turned into a back-and-forth, with Bruera and Morales, offensive references, crashing into everything and worrying Rivero and Martínez Quarta.

But the lack of offensive resources and, ultimately, the little time left worked against Barracas, who didn't even test Beltrán. In the end, it was a 1-0 victory for River, who couldn't seal the win and had to hold on until the last breath.

Without shining, but winning away, something they had become unaccustomed to recently (although in the final stretch of 2025, when everything was negative, they also suffered many defeats in Núñez), Gallardo's team secured three important points to start the Apertura Tournament.

Their next opponent will be Gimnasia on Wednesday at the Monumental, while Barracas will visit Aldosivi in Mar del Plata on the same day.

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