River-Boca marred by 7 stoppage-time red cards

The Superclasico between River Plate and Boca Juniors on Sunday saw seven red cards shown in stoppage-time following a mass brawl between the two sides.

With hosts River leading 1-0 at a packed Monumental stadium thanks to substitute Miguel Borja‘s 93rd-minute penalty, a melee erupted as the home team celebrated the lead.

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It resulted in six players sent off — three from each team — as well as Boca coach Jorge Almiron. The fight started when Boca goalkeeper Sergio Romero was taunted by River’s Agustin Palavecino.

“Palavecino came to shout the goal to our faces,” former Manchester United goalkeeper Romero said after the game. “I reacted well, I grabbed him from his waist and asked him why he was doing that. My teammates thought I was about to fight, and they all came.

“What Palavecino did is a terrible lack of respect, and I told the River players to their faces.”

Police and stewards had to intervene to stop the fight between the teams and the game was halted for 10 minutes before referee Dario Herrera showed seven red cards.

With the aid of the video assistant referee (VAR), Herrera showed a straight red to River’s Palavecino, Ezequiel Centurion and Elias Gomez of River, as well as Boca’s Miguel Merentiel, Ezequiel Fernandez and Nicolas Valentini. Boca head coach Almiron was also dismissed.

Romero was unimpressed by the refereeing, including the decision to award a penalty when Pablo Solari went down in the area following contact from Agustin Sandez.

“We leave with a very bitter and sad feeling,” Romero said. “The penalty should not have been awarded. The referee didn’t even review it. The game got out of his hands. It’s difficult to understand the red cards, the referee told me that it was because they were throwing punches.”

River captain Enzo Perez labelled the brawl “unacceptable.”

“I think that it is not right on either side, because it is not the image that we have to give to the outside,” he said. “I don’t agree with what happened at all, it’s unacceptable.”

River coach Martin Demichelis preferred to focus on the positives as his team celebrated a win that kept them nine points clear of San Lorenzo at the top of the standings.

“If there was a team that deserved to win it was us,” he said.

Boca are 13th in the league table with 18 points from 15 games.