Marcelo Gallardo's team advanced in the Argentine Cup thanks to Maxi Salas, but the attention was taken by the altercations during and after the match.
Photo: Racing Club
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River Plate He found a respite in the middle of the storm. After four consecutive defeats, the team of Marcelo Gallardo The bad streak was shook with a 1-0 victory over Racingin the quarterfinals of the Argentine Cup. The game, played at the Giant Stadium in Arroyito, not only delivered a ticket to the semifinals, but also a cataract of controversies inside and outside the court.
The hero was Maximiliano Salasstriker that just a few months ago left Avellaneda to dress in red and white. After five minutes, he connected a center of Facundo Colidio and with a cross shot he gave River the final advantage. The goal had a special seasoning: he faced his exclub, and although he chose not to celebrate it, the academic fans did not forgive the “betrayal.” Among reproach songs and until the launch of a shoe from the gallery, the atmosphere was marked by the anger of Racing fans.
See the goal from Maxi Salas to Racing
The procedure was intense, with arrivals in both areas. River was able to expand with another occasion of Salas, that goalkeeper Cambesses covered with reflexes, while Racing wasted the clearest at the feet of Adrián “Maravilla” Martínez, erratic all afternoon and expelled at the closing by double yellow. The meeting also stopped ten minutes in the second half due to the fall of a smoke flare that reduced visibility in the academy's defensive zone.
The crossing that ignited the fight
But sports was eclipsed by incidents. Marcos Acuña, from the past in Racing and today side of River, lit the public with a provocative gesture: he played with the head ball in front of the tribune of his exequipo in the last minutes. From there they rained insults, reproaches and even tickets, alluding to their outlet. The tension climbed after the final whistle, when striker Adrián Balboa went to look for Acuña and spit on his face, unleashing a generalized tumult with pushes between players and technical bodies, where Gallardo also appeared to separate.
This was the spit to 'egg' acuña
The end was not calm for Maxi Salas either. When trying to greet his former companions, he received the rejection of Agustín Almendra and Gonzalo Costas, son and assistant of coach Gustavo, who increased him and denied the gesture. “I always managed with respect to the people of Racing. The past is already. We needed to win, it was a final for us,” said the striker, aware that his goal meant much more than a classification.
River, looking for its fourth title in the Argentine Cup, will face Independiente Rivadavia de Mendoza in the semifinals, while the other cross will encourage Argentinos Juniors and Belgrano. The champion will not only raise a trophy: he will also ensure a direct quota in the Copa Libertadores 2026. Racing, on the other hand, must quickly pass the page and focus his energy in the Libertadores, where in three weeks it will be measured with Flamengo in a semifinal that will mark his destination in the season.
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