River Plate suffered but qualified for the Club World Cup final by winning 1-0 against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who put the Argentine team on the ropes, this Wednesday in Osaka at the Nagai Stadium turned into the Monumental by the presence of thousands of fans of the Band.
River Plate, champion of the Copa Libertadores, will play in Yokohama on Sunday against the winner of the semifinal of the Club World Cup between Barcelona and Guangzhou Evergrande from China, which will be disputed tomorrow.
In a forgettable match, River Plate took the victory against Sanfrecce Hiroshima thanks to a goal by forward Lucas Alario in the 72nd minute. In the first half, goalkeeper and captain Marcelo Barovero had saved his team with three outstanding saves.
The nearly 15,000 River Plate fans in Osaka made the team feel at home, cheering from hours before the game and displaying all the flags of the branches that usually adorn the Monumental Stadium.
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River Plate will face Hiroshima Sanfrecce in the semifinals of the Club World Cup of Japan, on Wednesday (5:30 a.m. by FOX Sports) as favorites against the locals and aspiring to be the tournament's revelation.
The match, which will be played at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka, will be the debut of the Buenos Aires team in the "little world cup" in its current format, while the Japanese face the match after easily defeating their opponents in the repechage and quarterfinals.
River Plate dreams of reenacting the title it won 29 years ago in Japan in the former Intercontinental Cup, while Hiroshima could become the first Japanese team to reach the final of the Club World Cup.
River Plate's coach Marcelo Gallardo has already warned of the danger of the Japanese team, describing them as a team that "defends and attacks as a block and moves quickly" with players with "good technique who always try to play," in statements to the media last Sunday.
El plantel estuvo en el gimnasio por la mañana y luego entrenó en el estadio J-Green Sakai. #SamuraisDeRiver pic.twitter.com/UxXUKEII9O
— River Plate (@CARPoficial) December 14, 2015
Gallardo will try to improve the irregular image shown by his team in the national championship, where they finished ninth, and in this "little world cup" he will be able to count for the last time on an essential piece in his lineup, midfielder Kranevitter, who will leave for Atletico Madrid in January.
The Hiroshima team is participating in their third Club World Cup - this time as an invited team from the host country - and they want to extend their great moment against a River Plate that they see as superior.
"I think they have more quality than us," said veteran forward Hisaki Sato, who added that the Japanese team will have to take advantage of the few chances they have, in statements to the local media.
Tomorrow will be the fourth match in just eleven days for the Japanese team, after drawing with Gamba Osaka in the match that gave them the league title and defeating the champions of Oceania and Africa, Auckland City (2-0) and TP Mazembe (3-0) to qualify for the "little world cup" semifinals.
This accumulation of matches has taken a toll on Hiroshima, who have lost two regular starting midfielders, Notsuda and Kohei Shibasaki, due to injury.
The Japanese team will try to exploit their speed on the counterattack with players like Sato, Brazilian Douglas, and promising Asano, aiming to cause an upset in front of their home crowd and reach the final against the winner of the FC Barcelona-Guagzhou Evergrande match.
River Plate, on the other hand, will have the support of their approximately 15,000 fans who have traveled to Japan.
Possible line-ups:
Sanfrecce Hiroshima: Hayashi; Shiotani, Chiba, Sasaki; Mikic, Aoyama, Morisaki, Kashiwa; Douglas, Sato, and Asano.
River Plate: Barovero; Mercado, Maidana, Balanta, Vangioni; Sánchez, Kranevitter, Ponzio; Pisculichi, Mora, and Alario.
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE).
Stadium: Nagai in Osaka.