2015 Recopa Sudamericana

Background

The Recopa Sudamericana was founded in the late 1980s, as a means to determine the best team in South America. It was first contested between the winners of the Copa Libertadores and the Supercopa Libertadores from 1989 to 1998, until CONMEBOL discontinued the latter. Following the absence of an important, secondary tournament, the Recopa Sudamericana went into a hiatus that lasted four years until the introduction of the Copa Sudamericana.

River Plate qualified for the match by winning the 2014 Copa Sudamericana. They beat Colombian team Atlético Nacional 3–1 in the finals. The result meant River Plate won the tournament for the first time, after a runner-up campaign earned in 2003. They were appearing in the Recopa Sudamericana for the third time after previous losses in 1997 and 1998.

San Lorenzo qualified for the competition as winners of the 2014 Copa Libertadores. They beat Paraguayan team Club Nacional 2–1 in the finals to win their first Copa Libertadores. It was the second time San Lorenzo would participate in the tournament after their defeat in the 2003 edition.

The first official game of the season for both teams was scheduled to be the first leg of the Recopa Sudamericana. San Lorenzo had last played Godoy Cruz in a 1–0 win on a pre-season friendly. River Plate's last game before the match ended in a 5–0 defeat against rivals Boca Juniors in the exhibition Copa Luis B. Nofal cup.

First leg

Summary

The first leg was held at the Estadio Monumental, the home ground of River Plate. San Lorenzo nearly opened the scoring in the second minute of play when, after a faulty pass from Teófilo Gutiérrez, Pablo Barrientos crossed the ball over to Martín Cauteruccio, who was unable to control it. From there on out, the host team took control of the game. They started exerting pressure in the opposing field, thus generating the best situations. At the 11-minute mark, a precise delivery from Rodrigo Mora found Gutiérrez, who with a header forced goalkeeper Sebastián Torrico into a save. From the subsequent corner kick, the Colombian striker sent the ball into the woodwork. Twenty minutes in, Mora and Gutiérrez replicated the same earlier play, this time from the right side, which ended in similar fashion as Torrico once again denied them. Further danger was funneled by River Plate through Leonardo Pisculichi. The playmaker sent two more corner kicks into the San Lorenzo box, from which Gutiérrez rattled the crossbar following a bicycle kick, and a header from Jonatan Maidana met the left post just two minutes later. The home side had one last chance to open the scoreline before half-time, but a shot from Mora went wide.

Just a minute into the second half, a possible penalty was omitted by referee Germán Delfino after River Plate's Marcelo Barovero seemed to tackle Cauteruccio. The Uruguayan striker later missed a one-on-one chance at the 54-minute mark, following a pass Barrientos had filtered for him. River Plate appeared less incisive with their chances compared to the first half, so manager Marcelo Gallardo subbed Gonzalo Martínez in for striker Rodrigo Mora to break the deadlock. The change made a difference as the attacking midfielder filtered a pass between the lines to Carlos Sánchez, who with a powerful strike scored the only goal of the first leg. During the final minutes, Leandro Romagnoli lost his composure and fouled Leonel Vangioni with a disqualifying tackle, for which he received a straight red card.

River Plate came from an overwhelming defeat against rivals Boca Juniors in a friendly game a week prior. Gallardo replied to criticism stating: "Many things were said during the week, some justified, others not. You can't analyze one match and believe that this team is finished." Regarding the performance of his team, he stated: "There was a trophy at stake and the players responded. That gives me peace of mind. Our focus was on the start of the official competition, just as we had announced. Today we were back to our old ways."

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Second leg

Summary

River Plate's 1–0 victory in the first leg meant that San Lorenzo needed to score a goal to force the tie into extra-time. The home team started stronger as they applied high pressure, forcing two corner kicks in the first five minutes. Midfielder Franco Mussis was replaced by Facundo Quignon early due to an injury. The visitors gradually matched their performance to the opponents', and created the first clear opportunity of the game 18 minutes in, when Ariel Rojas crossed for Carlos Sánchez, who took a shot that went just wide. San Lorenzo responded by letting their full-backs design two of their best chances. In the 35th minute, a volley to the right post from centre-back Matías Caruzzo was deflected by Marcelo Barovero after Julio Buffarini broke down the right flank. In similar fashion six minutes later, left-back Emmanuel Mas entered the penalty area and put a low cross for Sebastián Blanco, whose shot on net got blocked by Leonel Vangioni.

In the second half, San Lorenzo pressed forward again from the start, elaborating two situations in quick succession for Martín Cauteruccio. Their coach Edgardo Bauza also brought in forwards Mauro Matos and Gonzalo Verón, as to help in finding the equaliser. Nonetheless, River Plate would be the team to take the lead in the second leg. At the 22-minute mark, Rodrigo Mora controlled a cross from the right that prevented a goal kick. He turned back swiftly as he passed the ball to Sánchez, who put a shot on net that rebounded off Caruzzo and went in. Three minutes later, San Lorenzo had two goal prospects in close succession, but they were both fended off by Barovero. The keeper first stopped a bounced header from Matos, and he later followed up by saving a Héctor Villalba shot with his chest. Another clear chance was also missed by River Plate, after Sebastián Torrico saved a shot by Sánchez following a rebound. During the last ten minutes of the match, centre-back Ramiro Funes Mori was handed a straight red card for the visitors, while Buffarini was sent off after receiving a second booking.

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Post-match

River Plate goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero was instrumental in the Recopa Sudamericana triumph. He addressed his team's last three games, acknowledging: "It's always good to win a title. What happened with Boca Juniors was sad [...] but the official season only started on Friday and it was important for us to win this match."

San Lorenzo's Edgardo Bauza also commented on the match, demonstrating content despite the loss: "We played better than in the previous game, as we had fewer mistakes with the ball and didn't allow [River Plate] to control the game. We created 12 chances, but failed to capitalize on them." He also made a remark about his team: "Tomorrow they'll get back on their feet, this squad has shown plenty of resilience in difficult times".

San Lorenzo's merits in the 2015 Argentine Primera División yielded them a second place, therefore qualifying for the 2016 Copa Libertadores. River Plate finished the league in ninth place, but would also enter the tournament as reigning champions following their victory in the 2015 finals.

References

References

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