English
River Plate Advances After Dramatic Night at Monumental Following Draw with Libertad Asunción
Capital Federal, Ciudad de Buenos Aires – In a night filled with emotions and tension at the Estadio Mâs Monumental, River Plate and Libertad Asunción drew in a vibrant match corresponding to the Round of 16 of the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2025. The Uruguayan referee, Andrés Matonte, witnessed a game fiercely contested from the first minute.
The match began at a frantic pace, evidenced by early yellow cards for Iván Franco (Libertad, minute 18) and Giuliano Galoppo (River, minute 20). River Plate took the lead in the 29th minute thanks to a goal by Sebastián Driussi. However, Libertad Asunción responded before halftime, with Rodrigo Rojas leveling the score in the 43rd minute.
The second half was marked by the expulsion of Giuliano Galoppo in the 52nd minute, leaving River with ten men. Despite being a man down, the home team fought with grit. The match was characterized by a high number of fouls and cards, including yellows for Gonzalo Montiel and Nacho Fernández for River, and Rodrigo Rojas and Cardozo Lucena for Libertad.
The match went to extra time and then to a penalty shootout, where the tension reached its peak. Marcos Fernández and Hugo Caballero missed their penalties for Libertad, while Matías Acuña also missed for River. Ultimately, River Plate prevailed in the penalty shootout with a final score of 4-3.
Regarding statistics, River Plate dominated possession with 60%, attempting 15 shots (6 on target) and earning 2 corners. Libertad, meanwhile, had 40% possession, with 17 shots (8 on target) and 6 corners. The match had a total of 25 fouls, 7 yellow cards, and 1 red card.
Substitutions river plate: at minute 46 P. Diaz came in and S. Boselli went out., at minute 54 J. Quintero came in and M. Galarza went out., at minute 68 S. Driussi came in and Miguel Borja went out., at minute 78 E. Perez came in and K. Castano went out., at minute 79 F. Colidio came in and I. Subiabre went out.
Substitutions libertad asuncion: at minute 61 A. Campuzano came in and H. Caballero went out., at minute 61 H. Fernandez came in and M. Fernandez went out., at minute 77 I. Franco came in and R. Villalba went out., at minute 77 L. Sanabria came in and A. Cardozo Lucena went out., at minute 89 G. Aguilar came in and J. Recalde went out.
The teams lined up as follows:
River Plate
Titulares:
Libertad Asuncion
Titulares:
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