River Plate, Rosario Central, Racing de Avellaneda, and Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata all won their round-of-16 matches on Sunday in the Argentine Apertura tournament, completing the group of teams advancing to the quarterfinals.
On Saturday, Huracán (who eliminated Boca Juniors at La Bombonera), Belgrano (winners in the Córdoba classic against Talleres), Unión de Santa Fe, and Argentinos Juniors had already secured their spots.
The quarterfinals will begin on Tuesday with Belgrano vs Unión and Argentinos Juniors vs Huracán, followed on Wednesday by Rosario Central vs Racing and River Plate vs Gimnasia y Esgrima.
River Plate struggled but beat San Lorenzo on penalties (4-3) after a 2-2 draw in an electrifying classic at the Monumental stadium, which was a cauldron of emotion.
“This is emotional, but this is how we feel football, for this club we love, that energy we have,” said Colombian Juan Fernando Quintero, a River idol since the unforgettable 2018 Copa Libertadores final victory over Boca in Madrid, fighting back tears.
Striker Rodrigo Auzmendi silenced the Monumental by opening the scoring for San Lorenzo in the 37th minute, but Marcos Acuña equalized for River in the 55th minute, sending the match to extra time.
During extra time, Fabricio López (94′) put San Lorenzo ahead again.
The defeat was weighing heavily on the home fans, who booed their players, but on the last play of the match, a cross from Quintero (120+2′) ended up being turned in for the equalizer, forcing the penalty shootout.
Even from the spot, River suffered. They fell two goals behind, but San Lorenzo missed their last three penalties, and River celebrated a hard-fought victory with the final kick from Freitas.
“We try to do things right. We deserved the win for everything we did. I get sentimental because I love this club and football has this kind of thing. Everything changes in a couple of minutes,” added the Colombian midfielder.
In the quarterfinals, River Plate will face Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata.
The Lobo from La Plata won away against Vélez Sarsfield 1-0 in the last round-of-16 match. A Marcelo Torres penalty in the 13th minute was enough for the win, despite playing for a long stretch with 10 men after Uruguayan defender Enzo Martínez was sent off in the 55th minute.
Rosario Central, led by Di María
With a goal from star Ángel Di María, Rosario Central came from behind to beat Independiente 3-1 at home on Sunday. At the Gigante de Arroyito in Rosario, the Canalla stood firm despite falling behind early.
“The team did a great job, we showed we play football and did things very well. We showed it on the pitch,” said the 38-year-old Di María.
Paraguayan Gabriel Ávalos (35′), the tournament’s top scorer with 10 goals, put Independiente ahead. But just before halftime, Di María (45+2′) scored a crucial equalizer with a classic left-footed strike.
The home side broke the deadlock with goals from two youngsters, Giovanni Cantizano (83′) and Elías Verón (90+2′), sealing the fate of the Rojo.
Racing returns to winning ways
Rosario Central will face Racing de Avellaneda, who had been struggling but revived in La Plata with a huge 0-1 away win over Estudiantes.
When the score seemed destined to remain 0-0, La Academia found the key in the 89th minute. A corner kick was headed in by Santiago Sosa, beating Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera for the winning goal.
“It had been a long time since we could win, so I feel a lot…”