River lacked sparkle but won in Río Cuarto and went top | OneFootball

In a scrappy and lackluster match, River Plate secured a vital victory from their visit to Estudiantes de Río Cuarto by winning 2-0 in the 12th round of the 2026 Torneo Apertura. With this result, the team led by Eduardo "Chacho" Coudet maintains a perfect score under his management (3 out of 3) and climbs to the top of Zone B with 20 points.

A Forced Affair

The "Millionaires" struggled to assert their dominance in the Southern Empire. After a first half with few thrills — where only a free kick by Marcos Acuña and a powerful shot by Aníbal Moreno stood out — the stalemate seemed unbreakable. The home team even managed to score through Tomás González, but the goal was disallowed by VAR after a lengthy review for offside.

The Winning Goals

The opening goal came at the 24th minute of the second half. A foul on Sebastián Driussi inside the area was awarded as a penalty, and the experienced Gonzalo Montiel made no mistake with a cross shot that deceived goalkeeper Lastra.

Estudiantes sought the equalizer with more drive than skill and had clear chances through Rosane and Ojeda, but their lack of accuracy was their downfall. In the ninth minute of stoppage time, with the home team fully committed to attack, Maximiliano Salas took advantage of a lethal counterattack: he ran from midfield and finished with poise to seal the definitive 2-0.

Present and Future

While River celebrates their shared leadership, the outlook for the "Lion" is critical: they remain last in the annual standings with just 4 points. In the next round, Coudet's team will host Belgrano, while Estudiantes will visit Aldosivi in a "final" for survival.

MATCH SUMMARY

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