Newell’s suffered a real kick-in-the-teeth defeat at home to River Plate on Sunday night, surrendering their unbeaten home record to a 94th minute winner.
The Lepers had done more than enough to earn a point against the league leaders, matching them in every area of the pitch.
Heinze’s team played with confidence but might have been lucky to avoid being reduced to 10 men early on when Brian Aguirre received only a yellow card for a dangerous challenge on Leandro González Pírez. Replays showed that Aguirre went in high and with his studs showing on the River defender but the yellow card for the young Newell’s forward remained, even after a VAR check.
Scoreless at the break, the game opened up in the second half with Iván Gómez rattling the bar with a superb long-range effort for Newell’s before Jorge Recalde got on the end of a Brian Aguirre cross but the ball hit his shoulder and dropped just wide of Franco Armani’s post.
Lucas Hoyos stood strong at the other end to save from Pablo Solari from close-range but it would be Solari who would have the last laugh. With seconds remaining in the game, Newell’s lost possession deep in River’s half after an attacking free-kick and the opposition moved rapidly up the pitch with La Lepra struggling to track back. Hoyos made the decision to rush out of his goal but it opened up the defence entirely so that Solari could receive the ball and pass into an empty net.
With El Coloso silenced, the Newell’s players looked on in disbelief, trying to come to terms with the fact that they’d gone from earning a point to walking away with nothing in the space of about 10 seconds.
Solari’s goal was the last action of the game and Gabriel Heinze must now pick up the pieces from a disappointing defeat with Bolivian side Blooming visiting Rosario in the Copa Sudamericana on Tuesday.
Watch the highlights of the match below.
