San Lorenzo de Almagro was eliminated from the Copa de la Liga Profesional after losing on penalties to River Plate this Saturday, May 10th. The match ended 2-2 after 120 minutes, with the team from Boedo succumbing 4-3 in the shootout.
Marcos Acuña opened the scoring for River in the 31st minute, but Rodrigo Auzmendi equalized for San Lorenzo just six minutes later. The draw held until the 55th minute, when Juan Fernando Quintero put the hosts back in front. Fabricio Gabriel López forced extra time by scoring the definitive 2-2 in the 94th minute. In the penalty shootout, saves from Franco Armani and misses from Gregorio Rodríguez and Ignacio Perruzzi sealed the Cyclone's exit. Rubén Darío Insúa's team must now focus on the league, where they sit in seventh place in the standings.
The shootout was a nerve-wracking duel. Carlos Insaurralde converted San Lorenzo's first penalty. Guzmán Corujo, however, saw his shot saved by Armani. Diego Herazo, Kendry Páez, and Ignacio Perruzzi scored for the Cyclone, but Gregorio Rodríguez also missed his attempt. For River, Juan Fernando Quintero, Maximiliano Salas, Gonzalo Montiel, and Mathías De Ritis found the net. River's fifth taker, Joaquín Freitas, missed, but it was already too late. The opponent's goalkeeper's effectiveness and the pressure of the Monumental stadium weighed heavily on the final outcome.
River Plate clearly dominated possession, with 73% compared to San Lorenzo's 27%. The team from Núñez also generated many more chances, with 30 total shots and 12 on target. San Lorenzo, for its part, had only 5 shots, but managed to put 4 of them on target. In disciplinary terms, the referee showed 3 yellow cards to River and one to San Lorenzo, plus a direct red card for a visiting player. Insúa's team defended with order and looked dangerous on the counter-attack, one of their virtues this season.
After this elimination, the Cyclone's focus returns entirely to the Liga Profesional. The next official match is against Talleres de Córdoba next weekend. This game will be key to maintaining hopes of qualifying for international cups. The team needs to recover mentally from this tough derby defeat. The full schedule for the rest of the season is available in our fixtures listing.
Despite the defeat, several San Lorenzo players had notable performances. Rodrigo Auzmendi was key with his equalizing goal in the first half. Fabricio Gabriel López, the scorer of the extra-time goal, once again demonstrated his importance in the attacking midfield. In defense, the effort to contain River's constant advance was collective. The goalkeeper, although he couldn't save any penalties, made several important interventions during the 120 minutes. The team showed character to come back twice, but a lack of accuracy in the decisive moments proved costly. The match ended with San Lorenzo playing with ten men after a late sending-off.
