Just over five years ago, River Plate boasted two Copas Libertadores in their trophy cabinet and were celebrating their first Primera Divisin title, following the humiliation of dropping down to the Nacional B. Having beaten out Boca Juniors to that crown in May, 2014, Millonario idol Ramn Daz stepped aside to make way for young, untested Marcelo Gallardo to take over.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Under Gallardo, River Plate have become an irrepressible force in South American football, reaching the Libertadores semi-finals in four of the coach's five campaigns. On Saturday, they take the field in Lima's Estadio Monumental in the hope of an incredible third win since the coach assumed his position, a feat that would seal Gallardo's place among the likes of Carlos Bianchi, Tele Santana and Luis Cubilla as one of the greatest coaches in the competition's illustrious history.
It will not be easy, of course. Standing between the Millo and another triumph is fearsome Flamengo, a team stacked with talent recruited from among Brazil and Europe's best and directed by another wily tactician, Portuguese veteran Jorge Jesus. Not always do such continental finals bring together the two sides who can claim to be the best around; but it is hard to argue that either River or Flamengo are unworthy of their spot in this first-ever one-off Libertadores decider.
Unlike their opponents, the Rio de Janeiro outfit only have faint memories of lifting South America's most coveted club trophy. Not since 1981, when the incomparable Zico led them to glory, have Flamengo gone all the way in the Libertadores, and those 38 years of disappointment have been made all the harder to digest given the procession of Brazilian sides that, along with their Argentine counterparts, have dominated the medal count in the interim.
They are great opponents. We are two very good teams. We have the same chance two teams which are similar with respect to players and tactics, Gallardo explained to reporters when quizzed on Flamengo. We have a chance, I'd say we're might even be level. We will see later if a final with good football comes out.
Although they may be a team that thinks first of attack and later about how to stop goals, River will have to be alert at the back. Fla duo Gabriel 'Gabigol' Barbosa and Bruno Henrique have smashed 69 goals between them in 2019 alone and will have to be nullified should Gallardo's charges stand a chance.
The Millo, in turn, will look to their stellar midfield and the likes of Enzo Prez, Exequiel Palacios and Nacho Fernndez to control the pace of the final, in the hope that the Brazilians' forward threat is starved through lack of service and that likely starting forward pair Rafael Borr and Matias Surez can make the difference at the other end.
It will be an intriguing clash between two of South America's biggest, most talented clubs and a fitting stage for this first one-off final which almost ended in debacle when its original venue Santiago was stripped of hosting rights just weeks before the ball starts rolling due to protests in Chile.
On one side Flamengo are gunning for the relief of title glory; for River and Gallardo, another step towards immortality.
Kick off:5pm, this Saturday
Follow this link:
Gallardo leads irrepressible River to another shot at glory - Buenos Aires Times
- Immortality Versus Mortality - BIBLE TRUTH KEYS [Last Updated On: June 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 12th, 2016]
- 536. Ode. Intimations of Immortality. William Wordsworth ... [Last Updated On: June 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 12th, 2016]
- Immortality Devices by Alex Chiu [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2016]
- Immortality - The Atheist; scourge of religion and scammers [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2016]
- Immortality (Celine Dion song) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: June 25th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 25th, 2016]
- Immortality | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy [Last Updated On: July 29th, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 29th, 2016]
- Immortality Immorality - TV Tropes [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2016]
- Immortality - Superpower Wiki - Wikia [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2016]
- Immortality - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2016]
- immortality | philosophy and religion | Britannica.com [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2016]
- IMMORTALITY. An outline study of what the Bible says about ... [Last Updated On: November 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 21st, 2016]
- Immortality | Dragon Ball Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia [Last Updated On: November 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 21st, 2016]
- Immortality | Harry Potter Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia [Last Updated On: November 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 21st, 2016]
- Quotes About Immortality (482 quotes) [Last Updated On: November 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 21st, 2016]
- CELINE DION LYRICS - Immortality [Last Updated On: November 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 21st, 2016]
- Who Wants to Live Forever? - TV Tropes [Last Updated On: December 4th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 4th, 2016]
- Xian (Taoism) - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: December 4th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 4th, 2016]
- Real Vampires, Immortality, Gothic, Pagan, Eternal Life ... [Last Updated On: December 7th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 7th, 2016]
- Crown of Immortality - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: December 7th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 7th, 2016]
- Amrita - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: January 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2017]
- Brian Dawkins: One day away from pro football immortality - Inside the Iggles [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- 'Rick And Morty' Theory: Rick Gifted Morty With Immortality, But Chose To Die Himself - moviepilot.com [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Jeff Jacobs: Near NFL Immortality, Tom Brady Shows Human Side - Hartford Courant [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Is Brain Augmentation Leading The Way To Immortality? - Wall Street Pit [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- 3 former Cowboys ready to fight for immortality in Super Bowl LI - Cowboys Wire [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Eating Toward Immortality - The Atlantic [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- The best evah? Not everybody at parade rated this year's comeback number one - The Boston Globe [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- Immortality of written words - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- Sleepy Hollow: Ichabod Comes Home and Malcolm Achieves Immortality - TVOvermind [Last Updated On: February 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 11th, 2017]
- Immortality | The Institute for Creation Research [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2017]
- Quotes About Immortality (489 quotes) [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2017]
- Reality Of Immortality: Oregon State Is Five Games Away From ... - Building the Dam [Last Updated On: February 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 14th, 2017]
- New Yorker seeks pinball immortality - Fox5NY [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- McGraw One Step From Hoop Immortality :: Notre Dame Women's ... - Notre Dame Official Athletic Site [Last Updated On: February 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 19th, 2017]
- Blind love and immortality haunt 'The Invention of Morel' | Chicago ... - Chicago Sun-Times [Last Updated On: February 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 20th, 2017]
- Aussies should prep for immortality, as life expectancy rises - Techly [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Johnson chasing 8th title, racing immortality - La Crosse Tribune [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Fighting McGregor Just Another Easy Step to Immortality for Mayweather - The Sweet Science [Last Updated On: February 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 25th, 2017]
- Faces of Russia: Mila Arutyunyan on Immortality - Argophilia Travel News [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2017]
- Living Immortality, Russian Economy in 2017, How Big Is Russia's Inequality Gap, and the Kremlin's Risky Plans - Institute of Modern Russia [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- The mortal side of biological immortality - Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Georges St-Pierre Takes Aim at Immortality in Title Shot Against Michael BIsping - Bleacher Report [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Middletown's Bertoni is 4 wins away from 4 titles, state-wrestling immortality - Frederick News Post (subscription) [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- Immortality | RuneScape Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia [Last Updated On: March 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 5th, 2017]
- Immortality (Celine Dion song) - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: March 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 5th, 2017]
- Lecture 18 - The Badness of Death, Part III; Immortality ... [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2017]
- An Undervalued Notion of Life Beyond Death: Created World Immortality - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2017]
- CBS picks up Young Sheldon, ensuring The Big Bang Theory's immortality - A.V. Club [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2017]
- Eddie Jones and England one game from rugby immortality - The Week UK [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2017]
- Can Immortality be Achieved Through Science? - Anti Aging News [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2017]
- We will have cracked secret of ETERNAL LIFE by 2029 says GOOGLE chief - Express.co.uk [Last Updated On: March 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 19th, 2017]
- Cahill poised to achieve Socceroos immortality - SBS - The World Game (blog) [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2017]
- Crazy conspiracy theorists think that Nicolas Cage is an immortal vampire and here's why - The Sun [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2017]
- Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert chasing 1000 / 1000 / 200, immortality in NBA History books - SLC Dunk [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2017]
- 'Your animal life is over. Machine life has begun.' The road to immortality - The Guardian [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2017]
- Peter Higgs on knowledge, immortality and the future of physics - New Scientist [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2017]
- Just a slip from mortal to immortality - The Nation [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2017]
- How two trades pushed Patrik Elias into Devils immortality - New York Post [Last Updated On: April 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 2nd, 2017]
- NBA: Westbrook nears NBA immortality - Manila Bulletin [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2017]
- The baseball immortality of Beaver County's James Madison Toy - Tribune-Review [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2017]
- Atlassian aims for corporate immortality in the cloud - The Australian Financial Review [Last Updated On: April 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 5th, 2017]
- Black Mirror's San Junipero: Technological Immortality - The Georgetown Voice [Last Updated On: April 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2017]
- Why the Grand National is the holy grail and sporting immortality the prize - Telegraph.co.uk [Last Updated On: April 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2017]
- The quest for immortality ... an an exotic beast: reviews of Girl In The Machine and Dr Stirlingshire's Discovery - Herald Scotland [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2017]
- The Shining and the immortality of evil - Den of Geek UK [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2017]
- Saskatchewan gymnast Gagnon finds immortality in a name and a skill - Saskatoon StarPhoenix [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2017]
- The Shining and the Immortality of Evil | Den of Geek - Den of Geek US [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2017]
- The Guardian view on immortality: not for the faint-hearted - The Guardian [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2017]
- Three Forms of Immortality - Patheos (blog) [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2017]
- Soaring Into Immortality: Norwich Ski Jumper Enters Hall of Fame - Valley News [Last Updated On: April 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 21st, 2017]
- Henrietta Lacks' story gains greater immortality in HBO film - SFGate [Last Updated On: April 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 21st, 2017]
- Jimmer Fredette Has a Decision: Immortality in China or Role Player in America - Bleacher Report [Last Updated On: April 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 21st, 2017]
- Immortality found in cyberspace - Otago Daily Times [Last Updated On: April 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 28th, 2017]
- Psychic Stabs Himself To Prove His Immortality And Then Dies - Crave Online [Last Updated On: April 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 28th, 2017]
- Psychic trying to prove his immortality stabs himself to death | Metro ... - Metro [Last Updated On: April 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 28th, 2017]
- Nietes seeks immortality - Manila Bulletin [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2017]
- Startup Promises Immortality Through AI, Nanotechnology, and Cloning - Big Think [Last Updated On: May 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 9th, 2017]
- Musical Immortality: What Does it Take to Become a Legend? - Noiseporn [Last Updated On: May 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 9th, 2017]
- Ending Aging: Scientists Say Telomeres May Be the Key to Unlocking Near-Immortality - Futurism [Last Updated On: May 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 13th, 2017]
- A Beginner's Guide to Immortality: From Alchemy to Avatars - Boing Boing [Last Updated On: May 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 13th, 2017]