BUENOS AIRES (AP) — With a brace from youngster Santiago Simón and a goal from Colombian Miguel Borja, River Plate beat Banfield 3-2 on Wednesday and earned the right to play against classic rival Boca Juniors in the final for a trophy that should have been played in 2020, but it was postponed due to the pandemic.
The millionaires and the Drill crossed paths as respective finalists in the 2019/2020 Super League, which Boca won before ordering a strict quarantine due to COVID-19, and the Maradona Cup, a tournament with which the football has picked up in recent months. of 2020 and that the Boquenses have also conquered.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) arranged for River and Banfield to play a single game at the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium in Córdoba province so that the survivor could set the pending 2020 champions trophy against Boca.
In the first major game for coach Martín Demichelis since replacing multi-champion Marcelo Gallardo, River took a comfortable two-goal lead with shots from mid-range.
After seven minutes, Simón stopped the ball almost in the crescent of the box and took a right hand that slipped on a fast-paced pitch due to rain. The ball hit the stick of goalkeeper Facundo Cambeses.
In a game set up at minute 44, the young midfielder received again at the box door and unsheathed his right hand which, after deflecting rival midfielder Alejandro Cabrera, swelled the net.
At the start of the add-on, River showed doubts in their last line and Banfield went within reach of the equalizer with the delivery of Andrés Chávez at 53 minutes.
But Colombian striker Miguel Borja returned control of the match to River with a quick counter-attack that he sealed with a right cross. Borja got injured before the end.
In extra time, Juan Bisanz scored Banfield’s second goal.
The Boca-River final, the third since 2018, does not yet have a date or setting defined.