Ezequiel Barco set the pace and provided the assist for Lucas Beltrán to score the winning goal for River Plate against Monterrey (1-0) at the Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, in the first of three friendly matches planned for the Argentine club in the United States.
After seventy minutes with few emotions, Barco came on the field and changed everything in River's attack, with spark, rhythm, and touches of class.
In one of them, he reached the edge of the area and gave Beltrán the pass for the winning goal that allows River to approach the upcoming matches against Millonarios and Vasco da Gama with enthusiasm.
The match was played with few fans in the stands and at a slow pace on the field. Monterrey started better, with Colombian Duván Vergara trying to change the rhythm, although the best chances were for River.
Demichelis' team pressed high and came close to taking the lead twice in the space of four minutes, between the 23rd and 27th minutes. Veteran Jonathan Maidana came close to scoring the first goal with a header from a corner kick and only a great save from goalkeeper Luis Cárdenas denied him the joy.
Shortly after, Nacho Fernández had a good opportunity inside the area, but his left-footed shot was stopped by Cárdenas with another good intervention.
Monterrey coach Victor Manuel Vucetich made up to eight substitutions in the first twenty minutes of the restart, and his team increased the intensity, finally having their first good opportunity. It came in the 58th minute, when Sebastián Vegas tried with a direct free-kick that Centurión managed to stop.
Demichelis wanted to wait before making changes, and his first substitutions came in the 70th minute, when Barco and Iván Alfonso came in, before replacing Borja with Beltrán.
His changes couldn't have worked better. Barco brought the spark that River needed in every play, carrying the ball with quality and speed, and the former Atlanta United player wouldn't take long to make an impact.
Vegas lost a naive ball in the center of the field, Barco carried the ball and, with an outside of the right foot, provided the assist for Beltrán to finish with a powerful shot into the bottom corner.
The match heated up and, minutes later, Vegas would end his game after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession and being sent off. Despite having a goal disallowed in the final minutes for offside, Monterrey ended the game leaving a poor image.
River Plate will travel to Miami to face Millonarios on January 14th at the DRV PNK Stadium, the home of Inter Miami, and will then move to Orlando to face Vasco da Gama.
Monterrey, who started the Mexican championship with a 0-1 defeat against Las Chivas de Guadalajara, will return to the field on January 14th with a visit to Cruz Azul.
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