After taking the lead, especially on the road, the Hurricanes took advantage of the score and the psychological advantage.
Now the Hurricanes are leading by one goal in total, and there is also an away goal. The probability of promotion has greatly increased. River Plate is in a passive situation like Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the previous round.
If the first round of the game ends with this score, just like Sao Paulo in the previous round, it will be difficult to reverse the comeback in the away game and eliminate the Hurricanes Athletic Team.
Therefore, after the game restarted, River Plate had to attack aggressively, hoping to score quickly, equalize the score, or even reverse the situation.
However, the current defense of the Hurricanes Athletic Team is too strong. Not only is Velarde strong alone, but other players have also developed a tacit cooperation in long-term games. Even if their individual abilities are not good, they can still maintain their strength through teamwork and maintenance. Ladd's command neutralized the opponent's attacks one by one.
In fact, even Velarde cannot intercept the opponent's breakthrough or pass every time. His defensive ability of 90% cannot really be equivalent to an iron wall. When his opponent's skills reached over 80 and he performed exceptionally, there were times when Willard couldn't stop him.
But the problem is that Villard not only has good defensive skills, but also has strong physique, awareness, speed, heading, etc. When combined, it is terrifying. Even if he can't stop him, he can still use his body and speed to get stuck, return to defense, slow down the opponent's attack speed, and command his teammates to help defend in time to make up for the loopholes.
As the season progresses, teammates understand Velarde's commanding style more and more clearly, and sometimes it even reaches the point where teammates can understand Velarde's meaning with just a glance.
This level of tacit cooperation, coupled with Willard's 90% awareness of command, makes it really difficult for the opponent to seize loopholes.
This time, River Plate performed even worse than Sao Paulo. Until the end of the first half, they were unable to score any threatening shots, let alone score.
The two sides ended the first half with a score of 0-1, and the away team Hurricane Athletic temporarily took a one-goal lead.
During the intermission, the commentators on Argentina’s domestic TV stations sighed:
"The score was not big, Hurricanes were only ahead by one goal."
“But that’s not what the first half of this game was all about.”
"In fact, the Hurricanes Athletic Team just had a little luck. Otherwise, the score might have been 0-2, or even 0-3."
"River Plate's offense is not weak, otherwise they would not have defeated their opponent Boca Juniors 4-0 in two rounds in the 1/8 finals and kept a clean sheet."
"But when faced with the defensive line of the Hurricanes Athletic Team led by Alan Willard, River Plate could only sigh and be helpless."
"The last time the two sides met was the Argentine Super Cup, where River Plate lost 0-3 to Atletico Huracán."
"In today's game, it looks like there are signs of this again. We just have to see if River Plate can make any adjustments during the halftime break."
Disappointingly, River Plate did not make any effective adjustments at halftime and continued to play the second half with the starting lineup from the first half.
Perhaps, this is River Plate's strongest lineup, and the head coach can't make any other adjustments.
After the start of the second half, River Plate still used the same offensive lineup as in the first half to press forward, trying to penetrate the Hurricanes' defense.
Unfortunately, things didn't work out as the Hurricanes' defense performed very well today. In addition to the fact that they already have a good understanding and are in good condition, it is also because today is Willard’s birthday.
We don’t want Willard to get a draw or defeat on his birthday. What everyone wants is to take away a victory from the Monument Stadium to celebrate Willard's 22nd birthday.
Therefore, everyone worked very hard, ran very aggressively, and fought hard, but River Plate did not get any decent opportunities.
River Plate's closest chance to score didn't come until the 72nd minute of the second half. This is Gonzano Martinez's unwillingness to admit defeat, and he finally dribbled the ball through Lucas Villaruel and Nervo and sent a wonderful pass. River Plate forward Teofi Luo Gutierrez rushed into the penalty area and grabbed a shot from the line of the small penalty area.
The ball is only six or seven meters away from the goal. It is very close. As long as it hits the goal frame, it is very easy to score.
However, Gutierrez's kick hit the leg of goalkeeper Marcos Dias, who opened his body like an octopus, and was blocked.
I have to say that the riverbed is very unlucky.
Especially Gonzano Martinez, who sent a wonderful pass and assist. After his teammates wasted this opportunity, his mentality suddenly collapsed. After getting the ball later, he started to work alone.
As it turned out, this played into Willard's hands.
In the 82nd minute, after Gonzano Martinez got the ball in the midfield, he saw Velard rushing towards him. He did not pass the ball out, but used a fried ball to try to get past the oncoming attacker. Willard.
As a result, Velarde's keen awareness discerned Gonzano Martinez's intentions in advance, and he made a change first. With one tackle, he successfully scooped the ball away from Gonzano Martinez's feet and passed it to the side to receive the ball. tulasa.
Tulasa advanced with the ball from the right, and Hurricane Athletics launched another quick counterattack.
Although the counterattack did not result in a goal, Avila's shot forced goalkeeper Varrovero to save the ball from the bottom line and got a corner kick opportunity.
And it was during this corner kick that Verard grabbed the spot in the penalty area, overpowered River Plate center back Mori, made a powerful head-swing attack, and successfully headed the ball into the right side of River Plate's goal. side.
Goalkeeper Varrovero reacted a little slower, and his final save was in vain. He could only watch the ball pass in front of his hand and fly into the goal.
At this moment, the Hurricanes fans, both at the scene and in front of the TV, immediately clapped and cheered excitedly, chanted Velarde's name and paid homage to him.
The commentators also knew what day it was and shouted:
"Goooooooooooooooooooooal..."
"The ball is in!"
"Alan Willard, he grabbed the first point in the corner kick and succeeded with a header, helping Hurricanes expand the score to 2-0."
"Hurricane Athletics has basically sealed the victory, and Alan Willard has also received his own best birthday present."
"Yes, today is Velarde's 22nd birthday. As a result, he is on such a stage, facing a world-class giant like River Plate, at the famous Monument Stadium, helping the Hurricanes to expand the score with a goal. In this way, I gave myself the most satisfying birthday gift.”
"Let us congratulate Willard!"
"Congratulations to him for scoring a goal, a happy 22nd birthday, and congratulations to Hurricanes for basically winning this game."
