River Plate v Millonarios – The Battle Of The Millionaires

DRV Pink Stadium – Argentina’s River Plate and Colombia’s Millonarios FC faced off Saturday night in what could be dubbed, “The Battle Of The Millionaires.” The two renowned clubs offered fans an exciting and dynamic game which was won by River Plate 2-0. River Plate’s nickname derives from the expensive transfers of Carlos Peucelle and Bernabe Ferreyra in the 1930’s. The Colombian squads name literally translates to “Millionaires FC”, and its roots are the heavy spending on foreign players early in its inception by the team from the nation’s capital.

The Argentine club initiated the match quickly, attacking and pressuring the ball high and forcing some bad passes from Millonarios. Despite the strong start from River, Millonarios took the first shot on goal at around the 7′ minute with forward Luis Carlos Ruiz launching the ball into Franco Armani’s grasp.  The pace of the game was rapid, with lots of imprecisions on both sides, while River’s first shot on goal came near the  13′ minute.

The match was lively, with attacks on both sides, but neither team was able to score. A pretty even half ends with a 0-0 score.

Millonarios began the second half playing better with fluid combinations leading to some clear scoring opportunities that they could not finish. An unwritten rule of soccer says that if a team creates many goal-scoring opportunities and doesn’t put one in, the opposing team will take its one chance and score.  River Plate did just that at the 59′ minute.

🎥 Cabezazo de Zucu, rebote y aparición de Mammana para que River pase al frente frente a Millonarios 👏pic.twitter.com/itcjcl8i7L

— River Plate (@RiverPlate) January 15, 2023

An Ezequiel Barco cross into the box was headed by Bruno Zuculini and blocked by Millo’s goalie Alvaro Montero,  the rebound was smashed in by Emanuel Mammana. River Plate went up 1-0. After the goal, the Argentine squad took control of the game.

River striker Miguel Borja got the crowd on its feet again in the 88th minute, converting from the penalty spot to give River Plate the 2-0 win. A well-played vibrant match ended with the better team on the night, River Plate, taking a well-earned 2-0 victory. Millonarios flashed some good soccer during several moments of the match, but could not consolidate that into goals.

🎥 Borja, de penal y con clase para el 2-0 final frente a Millonarios 🐦🔥pic.twitter.com/tdHRjUaQvo

— River Plate (@RiverPlate) January 15, 2023

Final Thoughts

Time after time the friendly matches at cozy DRV Pink stadium are successful, with good fan turnout and well-played games.  This is starting to be a trend, and a good one.

The fans that park on the dusty sandy lots seem to always have a better time than the fans on the opposite side of the stadium.  I don’t know what it is, but the party is always better on that end of the parking lot.

Party time ⁦@DRVPNKStadium⁩ .. Millos fans are having a blast 💥 I’m trying to find the River Plate party.. #LemonCityLive pic.twitter.com/Ov4Ucb0RbS

— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) January 14, 2023

Yuber Quinones of Millonarios is a very talented young player.  The twenty-year-old winger demonstrated some fascinating skills in the match. Quinones showed personality against a top team like River Plate, getting the ball and confidently making things happen for his team. His Transfer Market value is about $300k at the moment, some smart scout should scoop him up for cheap.

Chilly 50-degree weather could not stop the fans from coming out to see River Plate v Millonarios at DRV Pink Stadium. Now the home team Herons have a chance to convert or at least catch the interest of many of these same fans.

Next Saturday night Inter Miami CF will host Vasco de Gama from Brazil in a pre-season friendly at DRV Pink Stadium at 7 pm. Phil Neville and his squad get an opportunity to show the fans that the team is gearing up to do bigger and better things for the 2023 season.