River Plate secured a 2-0 victory over Estudiantes de Río Cuarto on Sunday, March 23, 2026, marking their third consecutive win in the Torneo Apertura. Despite the result, coach Eduardo Coudet acknowledged his team’s performance wasn’t their best, even resorting to a more defensive setup with five defenders in the closing minutes to protect the lead.
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Opinión: River, ganar no es lo único importante
Coudet’s tactical decision sparked debate, and he addressed the questions directly in a post-match press conference, asserting that River will reclaim its attacking identity in upcoming matches.
“You shouldn’t receive used to a more pragmatic River,” Coudet explained, attributing his approach partly to the poor condition of the Estadio Antonio Candini pitch. He also pointed to their previous win against Sarmiento de Junín as potentially skewing expectations.
Coudet aseguró que River recuperará su rol protagónico en los próximos partidos. (Getty Images)
“We took 34 shots in the last game. That’s not normal for a team, even with a player sent off. We’re moving away from the reality of what we’re experiencing,” he added. “And surely, on a different field, with different conditions, we would have imposed our game more. We didn’t work on running past defenders and challenging for the ball this week. We worked differently. You’ll see a more proactive River, like in previous games. But things were difficult.”
Video: la respuesta de Coudet
¿Cómo se desarrollará la semana de River y cuándo vuelve a jugar?
Following the win in Río Cuarto, Coudet granted the squad two days off (Monday and Tuesday) with the Liga Profesional pausing for the March FIFA international break. The team will then enter a mini-training camp with a concentration in Cardales until Friday, featuring double sessions on Wednesday, and Thursday. They’ll have the weekend off before reconvening next Monday at River Camp to prepare for their upcoming match against Belgrano, as well as their debut in the Copa Sudamericana.
River will host Belgrano at Estadio Monumental on what is currently projected to be Sunday, April 5, in the 13th matchday of Zone B in the Torneo Apertura 2026. The referee assignment is still pending.
