With Boca Juniors making a winning start earlier in the day, River Plate were eager to join their rivals on three points but on a poor pitch in Parque Patricios, Huracán not only held Los Millonarios but could easily have snatched victory.
Marcelo Gallardo described the game as horrible and credited Huracán for forcing that on River but it could have been different if the visitors had taken their chances early in the game.
Ignacio Scocco had already been foiled by Marcos Diaz when one-on-one with the goalkeeper and after referee Patricio Loustau spotted a handball against Juan Garro it presented Gonzalo Martínez with the opportunity to open the scoring. Normally so reliable, the 25-year-old blasted over the bar against his former club.
And from this point it was perhaps Huracán left more aggrieved at not getting the win. Diego Mendoza thought he had given El Globo the lead before the break only for Loustau to bring the play back for a foul on Franco Armani and the home side took further control after the break.
Scocco rightly had a goal ruled out for offside but it was otherwise down to Armani and the frame of the goal for ensuring that River left with a point.
Huracán 0 – 0 River Plate
Earlier in Rosario, Edgardo Bauza made his return to the dugout as Central manager and the former Argentina coach deservedly celebrated a 1-0 win against Banfield.
El Canalla had already gone close during a dominant first half and thought they had taken the lead just before the break when Fernando Zampedri found the net. However, Gonzalo Bettini’s attempt to tap the ball in from an offside position saw the linesman flag and despite the defender not making contact, the goal was ruled out.
The home side didn’t need to wait long after the restart though and it was Matías Caruzzo, brought in by Bauza to shore up the defence primarily, who headed the past Mauricio Arboleda.
The Banfield keeper produced a wonderful reflex stop to deny Germán Herrera from doubling the lead and another from Marco Ruben but the visitors never really looked like spoiling Bauza’s homecoming.
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