River Plate Derby Day

This has to be one of my favorite videos on YouTube. It has almost 140,000 views and I probably account for at least a couple hundred of them. This Sunday is the Argentine Super Clasico, and this video highlights River's history of success in one of the world's biggest matches.

There are a few classic goals in the video, starting with Beto Alonso's header of the infamous orange ball that gave River the title and let to a victory lap at the Bombonera. Ricardo Rojas, to whom the opposing half must have been as foreign a place as China, chips Abbondanzieri to the delight of the away supporters. There's Cuevas racing to the ball that gets by Abbondanzieri who inexplicably ends up in his own goal. Ortega getting one past Navarro Montoya and dancing in front of the River faithful. Futbol is a funny game though, and there is one goal in particular on there that didn't win River a title, or even the game, yet is one of the most fondly remembered goals River has scored in the Super Clasico.

In 1997 River was a trophy machine winning the Copa Libertadores the year before, the Super Copa (predecessor to the Copa Sudamericana) in 1997, and three national titles in a row. In a game where River was the favorite, visiting Boca took a 3-0 lead only a half hour into the match. A goal just before half-time by Sergio Berti put the score 1-3 at the break, even though the visitors had incredibly wasted another 3 golden scoring opportunities. The second half was an onslaught, but heading in the other direction. First Villalba made it 2-3, and then with minutes left Celso Ayala equalized in an emotional comeback. River had one more corner before Castrilli ended the game, and somehow Gancedo's volley just missed. Snatching a point from a humiliating trouncing might not be much, but the mood was that of a win as the away fans couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.