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River Plate imposes 2-0 over Banfield, thanks to Santiago Simón's brace, at the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium, for the framework of the 2020 Champions Trophy playoff, which was not played in that year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The winner of the match will play the final with Boca and with River's partial victory, we will witness a new superclásico.
At 7 minutes, Simón didn't hesitate for a second to take the shot from outside the box to break the tie on the scoreboard. The powerful shot surprised Cambeses, who, no matter how much he stretched, couldn't prevent the ball from touching the net.
Meanwhile, at 44 minutes of the same period, when River was struggling the most (Banfield had two close chances to equalize), another shot -after a good prepared play- from outside the box by Simón increased the lead for Martín Demichelis' team.
River vs. Banfield: what's next
After finding out which team will be Boca Juniors' opponent in the Champions Trophy final (the 'Xeneize' reached the final, after winning the Professional Superliga and the Copa Diego Armando Maradona), both River and Banfield will have immediate action in the local tournament in Argentina.
On the one hand, the 'Millonario' will host Arsenal at the Monumental on Sunday, February 26, at 7:15 PM (Argentine time) for the fifth round of the Professional League, where they are in fifth place with 9 points, three behind Lanús (12), who have only had victories in this 2023.
On the other hand, there is the 'Taladro', which is going through a different present and is obliged to defend their home when they host Independiente on the same Sunday. The team led by Javier Sanguinetti is going through a bad streak (they have lost two games and drawn the same amount), which reflects their inconsistency this season.
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