River Plate ran out 3-1 winners over CS Independiente Rivadavia in Liga Profesional, with Tomás Ezequiel Galván scoring twice after Gonzalo Montiel's penalty had given the hosts a first-half lead.

Match Summary

CS Independiente Rivadavia were on the back foot early as yellow cards arrived in a cluster. Matías Fernández was cautioned inside the first 20 minutes and Alex Arce followed before the half-hour. River Plate still needed a penalty to break through. Gonzalo Montiel converted in the 30th minute and the hosts took a 1-0 lead into the interval. Iván Villalba and Jose Ignacio Florentin were also booked before the break, with Nicolás Otamendi the only River player cautioned in the opening period.

River Plate pushed on after the restart and doubled the lead through Tomás Ezequiel Galván just shy of the hour. The reply arrived from Alex Arce, set up by Jose Ignacio Florentin, and for a stretch the contest was a single goal again. Lucas Martinez Quarta was booked as River managed that spell. Galván was not finished. With Lucas Beltran involved, he scored once more with ten minutes remaining, and the 3-1 result stood.

Key Moments

The penalty was the first real swing, turning a cautious, card-heavy opening into a lead River could protect. Four first-half cautions for the visitors left them walking a thin line and limited how aggressively they could chase the game.

Arce's finish from Florentin's assist made it 2-1 with more than 20 minutes left and put the result back in play. Galván's late second, with Beltran involved, shut that window and restored a two-goal cushion while time remained.

Match Statistics

River Plate held 59 percent of the ball and produced the clearer attacking numbers, 15 shots to 10 and 10 on target against 5. The hosts also took both of the match's corners, finishing with a 2-0 edge there. Discipline ran the other way. CS Independiente Rivadavia collected five yellow cards to River's two, and neither side saw a red.

What the Result Means

CS Independiente Rivadavia remain first in Liga Profesional Argentina with 34 points from 16 matches and a goal difference of 14. River Plate sit second on 29 points from the same number of games, five points behind, with a goal difference of 10. Both sides have two wins, one draw and two losses in their last five.

See also

• River Plate vs CS Independiente Rivadavia live score
• AltBets live scores
• AltBets tips
• Match recaps