On Sunday, August 23, 2026, River Plate and Vélez faced each other at the Monumental Stadium for the Clausura tournament, ending 2-2. River opened the score at the 11th minute when Lucas Martínez Quarta launched a long ball that Thiago Silvero set up for Ángel Correa; the former Atlético Madrid player faced Tomás Marchiori, hooked and finished for the 1-0. In the second half, at the 26th minute, the new World Cup regulation forced the change of Correa for Rafael Santos Borré to be made with the referee’s authorization. Correa delayed more than ten seconds in leaving the field, and Borré had to wait a minute before he could enter, leaving River with ten players during that period. Vélez took advantage of the numerical superiority and was close to scoring, but the referee maintained the decision and the match continued without major changes.
The controversy did not end there. From the stands, River fans sang a song directed at Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, AFA president, with the line “A ver si te das cuenta que no te quiere nadie.” The same day, Eduardo Coudet, coach of the Millonario, was whistled when his name was announced by the speakers in the pre-match.
During the second half, Vélez narrowed the gap thanks to a goal by Manuel Lanzini, who converted a header from Elías Gómez’s cross. Before that, Simón Escobar had two chances, one of which hit the post. At the 43rd minute, Correa set up Joaquín Freitas, who tried to send a back-cross, but the ball hit Silvero’s head and ended up in the net, marking the 2-0 for River.
The draw was sealed when, in the added time, Matías Pellegrini scored for Vélez after Thiago Almada’s error. Lanzini’s goal was the last, leaving both teams 2-2. After the result, the Monumental crowd criticized the team’s performance with whistles and demanded a win in the next match.
Next Wednesday, River will face Independiente Santa Fe in the Copa Sudamericana, a match that will decide the quarter-final spot.
