River Plate secured their place in the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Talleres de Córdoba at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires on August 21, 2024. This result, combined with their 1-0 win in the first leg, gave River a 3-1 aggregate victory in the round of 16 tie.The match started slowly, but River eventually took control, with Miguel Borja opening the scoring in the 34th minute. Santiago Simón doubled River’s lead in the 50th minute, effectively sealing the tie. Federico Girotti, a former River player, scored a consolation goal for Talleres in the 69th minute, but it was too late to change the outcome.River Plate’s coach, Marcelo Gallardo, expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, ‘We came out to play and to try to increase our lead, and we finally achieved it in the 34th minute’. He added, ‘River was the dominant team, even without many approaches and with more play in the midfield, forcing Talleres to retreat and wait for the error’.The victory sets up a quarterfinal clash with Chilean side Colo-Colo, who eliminated Junior de Barranquilla in their round of 16 tie. The first leg of the quarterfinal will be played in Santiago, Chile, between September 17 and 19, with the return leg in Buenos Aires a week later.This advancement to the quarterfinals has further energized River Plate’s fanbase, especially following Gallardo’s recent return as coach and the arrival of new high-profile players. As the team progresses in the tournament, expectations are high for River Plate to make a strong push for the Copa Libertadores title.
Key points
- River Plate defeated Talleres 2-1 in the second leg, advancing to the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals with a 3-1 aggregate score.
- Miguel Borja and Santiago Simón scored for River Plate, while Federico Girotti netted a consolation goal for Talleres.
- River Plate will face Chilean side Colo-Colo in the quarterfinals, with matches scheduled for mid and late September.
