River Plate were not expected to get a substantially good result in the game against Atlético Rafaela but they managed a 5-1 victory thanks to 4 goals from striker Fernando Cavenaghi.
The 17th round of the first division tournament saw River Plate field an alternate team in the hope of keeping the first-team fit. River Plate were conscious of slipping further down the table if they did not get a positive result against the minnows, who are near the bottom of the table. This was due to a consistent run of draws, which has seen the likes of San Lorenzo open an advantage.
Fernando Cavenaghi may be coming to the last few years of his career, but he once again showed the kind of quality that persuaded River Plate to sign him. He has now secured 11 goals in 18 games this season. Most of the goals, however, came in the game againstAtlético Rafaela, who managed to bring the game down to a score of 2-1 going into the half-time break. However, a rout of goals in the second half ensured a very comfortable victory for the away team. River Plate’s next game is against Guaraní in the Copa Libertadores semifinals. This match was the reason behind manager Gallardo resting his players.
“I’m not Messi. This will be a great memory for me. It’s important that the goals helped the team to win. We have a great squad and we can fight for both trophies,” said the striker after the game. Despite being 31 years old, Cavenaghi has been the most used striker in the squad with 18 appearances in all competitions. Youngster Driussi has been a surprise first choice regular with 10 appearance is already to his name. He has scored three goals in these matches and the manager will be expecting a little more.