River Plate beat Boca Juniors 2-1 at home to claim another win in Argentine football’s most important fixture, the Superclásico. Goals from man-of-the-match Franco Mastantuono and Sebastián Driussi gave head coach Marcelo Gallardo the bragging rights in a highly entertaining and emotional encounter at the Monumental stadium. 

As the build-up to the highly-anticipated match began, a moment of unity filled the stadium. It was a week in which Argentina lost Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the country’s first Pope. Football wanted its turn to share its own tribute on Sunday. A video was shown on the Monumental stadium’s screen, displaying a collection of images to commemorate Pope Francis’ life. After holding a minute of silence, River captain Franco Armani and Boca’s Marcos Rojo paid tribute with a banner.

The biggest question in the build-up was how Boca would line up. Injuries to star striker Edinson Cavani, forward Milton Giménez and international star Ander Herrera meant head coach Fernando Gago looked set to diverge from the 4-4-2 that sent the Xeneize to the top of the table. He settled for a more defensive 5-3-2, while Gallardo sent out a team in his usual offensive 4-3-3.

As the game began, the Millionarios attacking intent quickly became apparent. 17-year-old Franco Mastantuono led the charge, using his quick feet and dazzling dribbling to wreak havoc on the Xeneize’s defense.

However, the opener would come from a set play, the youngster taking control of a........

© Buenos Aires Herald