Libertadores Cup. A historic show by Julián Álvarez: he scores five goals in River’s 6-0 win over Alianza Lima
Álvarez does not take a breather. Two minutes after his fourth personal goal, he returns to the charge, now with subtlety, to define above the goalkeeper. Five goals in a match for the Copa Libertadores, he equals the mark in River de Ignacio Scocco against Jorge Wilstermann. Álvarez sniffs out the weaknesses of Alianza Lima. He stalks the defenders, and also the goalkeeper Campos, who loses the ball in one outing under pressure from the Cordovan attacker: fourth personal goal for the 5-0.Álvarez, the figure of the night, embraced by Barco, Simón and Enzo FernándezFotobaires/Nicolas AboafRiver is a gale. He elaborates on the left, reaches the mouth of the goal, Álvarez fails to define, Simón pushes it for 4-0. He had lost ownership in recent games. He was a substitute for Palavecino and Pochettino. He came back willing to take his place back. He had two assists in the first half, almost turned the fourth into a tackle from the right He starts the second half in the same vein as the first. River deepens an advance with De la Cruz and Barco, who gives in for the entry of Enzo Fernández, the best current midfielder in Argentine soccer. There is no match in which he does not attack the area to look for the middle distance. His right hand hit the base of a post. It was 4-0. River’s striker returns to to warm a cold and unseasonable night. He makes the fans celebrate and jump with his offensive show. Álvarez is an ordeal for the Peruvian defense. He already pierced it with incursions into the area. He now violates it with a shot from outside the area that enters below, next to a stick. Hat-trick in the first half, he reaches 48 goals and is seven shy of 55 Raphael Borre, top scorer in the Gallardo cycle, which began in mid-2014.
Álvarez celebrates facing the head of the Monumental Fotobaires/Nicolas AboafConfident of the advantage, River lets go and Alianza Lima undresses behind. The goalkeeper covered the third for Julián Álvarez, who tried to define from above. Enzo Fernández, a midfielder who always comes as a surprise, was close with two shots. Alianza Lima discounts with a header from a free kick, but the goal is not validated due to an advanced position. In the replay it is noted that there are two players off-side, but whoever heads is enabled. There is no possibility to review VAR, which will only be applied from the round of 16.River lit up and unloaded a lethal blast for Alianza Lima. Simón overflows on the right and sends the center that Álvarez connects, which adds his second goal in this Copa Libertadores. With a guaranteed presence until the round of 16, the Cordovan striker has accumulated 47 official goals in the first division. In the midst of the celebrations for the first goal, an alarm goes off in River. Milton Casco comes out with muscle discomfort. He is replaced by Elías Gómez. It was played in a Peruvian field. It was a matter of adjusting movements. Julián Álvarez did a complete job. He stepped back to intercept an exit from the Alianza Lima defense. He cut and went to seek the precise assistance of Santiago Simón to define the goalkeeper’s exit. River 1-0, victory on track
Enzo Pérez tries to overcome the crossing of VilchezFotobaires/Nicolas AboafAlianza defends with a 5-4-1 in his field. He doesn’t go out to press, he narrows spaces in his field and River has a hard time stringing together passes. He will have to have patience and precision. River has not been known for his defensive solidity. In the previous games they came a lot and suffered. Alianza Lima does not attack much, but the Argentine striker Hernan Barcos, connects a header from the right that was controlled by Armani. With Alvarez as the only defined striker, River supports them with a line of four midfielders. De la Cruz and Barco, open on the wings, and Simón and Enzo Fernández, on the inside. With this scheme, the local team has already arrived three times. A shot from Mammana went wide. With the return of Santiago Simon in a position that Pochettino or Palavecino had recently occupied, Gallardo announced the formation. Emmanuel Mama remains as right back, where Marcelo Herrera had been the first option to replace Robert Rojas, fractured in the first leg, in Lima. Welcome to the live coverage of the match between River and Alliance Lima, by the last date of Group F of the Libertadores Cup. On the day that the millionaire club meets 121 years of its foundationThe team of Marcelo Gallardo, With qualification for the round of 16 already assured, they are looking for the victory that will allow them to place second among the top eight in each zone. palm trees, With an ideal score in six games, he is already the best group leader, which ensures that he will play all the local rematches. If River is second among the leaders, it will only define as a visitor in the playoffs against Palmeiras.
