Buonanotte leveller earns River draw
Reuters - Sunday 24 October 2010, 00:39
BUENOS AIRES - Diego Buonanotte continued
his recovery from a car accident that took the lives of three
friends by scoring for River Plate in a 1-1 draw with Racing
Club in the oldest "clasico" in Argentine football on Saturday.
River, 85-37 ahead of Racing in 164 league meetings dating
back more than 100 years, fell behind to a 35th minute strike
by the visitors' brilliant young Colombian playmaker Giovanni
Moreno for his third goal in two matches.
Racing had the better of the first half at a nearly full
Monumental but River, fighting to improve their poor relegation
average, just about deserved the point after their fifth
consecutive draw and sixth match without a victory.
Coach Angel Cappa's half-time adjustments included taking
off veteran Ariel Ortega and sending on Buonanotte, who in
December was driving a car that crashed killing three boyhood
friends.
The 22-year-old vindicated the substitution when he had
been on the pitch less than a minute, turning the defence to
rifle a low left-footed shot from the right inside the near
post.
It was nearly identical to Moreno's opener. The Colombian
also turned a marker on the right side of the box and swiveled
to shoot left-footed, but inside the far post of the same goal.
Relegation in the Argentine top flight is decided on the
average points of a team over three seasons. River Plate, at
the moment, occupy a promotion playoff berth.
Friday night's top-of-the-table clash at Velez Sarsfield
ended in a 0-0 stalemate with Estudiantes remaining three
points clear of their hosts with seven matches to go in the
Apertura championship, first of two in the 2010/11 season.
Estudiantes have 27 points, Velez 24 and Arsenal 23 after
they let slip a chance to move in on the leaders when they were
beaten 3-1 at home by Godoy Cruz in Friday's other match. Godoy
River have 18 points and Racing 17.