River Plate defeated Banfield 3-1 at the Estadio Monumental in the seventh round of the 2026 Apertura Tournament, marking Marcelo Gallardo's final match as coach. The Núñez team broke a streak of three consecutive losses with goals from Lucas Martínez Quarta, Sebastián Driussi, and Joaquín Freitas, while Mauro Méndez scored for the visitors. Gallardo received an ovation from fans in an emotional night.
The match took place on February 26, 2026, at Buenos Aires' Estadio Monumental, with the crowd ovationing Marcelo Gallardo before, during, and after the game, acknowledging his status as the club's most successful coach. River arrived in poor form, with three straight losses in the Apertura Tournament and a prior draw against Rosario Central, placing them tenth in Zone B with seven points. This led to Gallardo's resignation, making this his last match in his second stint with the team.
The first half saw River starting strong. At the 12th minute, Lucas Martínez Quarta headed in the opener from a free kick and ran to hug Gallardo on the bench. However, in stoppage time at the 45th minute, Mauro Méndez equalized 1-1 for Banfield in a play upheld by VAR after an initial offside call was overturned.
In the second half, River struck back quickly: at the 46th minute, Sebastián Driussi made it 2-1 from a rebound inside the box. Then, at the 58th minute, Joaquín Freitas sealed 3-1 in a one-on-one, his first goal for the Millonarios, assisted by Ian Subiabre. The team used all substitutions, including Kendry Páez and Agustín Ruberto.
After the final whistle, Gallardo emotionally greeted the fans, who stood to applaud him. In the post-match press conference, he said: “I simply want to thank the people for another night of unconditional love. Returning all that affection is sometimes very difficult.” Lucas Martínez Quarta, the captain for the match, stated: “I asked for forgiveness because we let him down” and added: “We have to take responsibility now and live with this. We can have good and bad moments, but I will always give everything for the shirt.”
The win placed River fifth in Zone B with 10 points, provisionally entering the playoff spots. Their next game is Monday against Independiente Rivadavia, under interim coach Marcelo Escudero. Banfield, who were eighth with seven points after a 3-0 win over Newell's, suffered the loss.
Fans whistled several players during the lineup announcement, showing discontent with recent performances, though the focus remained on Gallardo's farewell. Lineups: River (Coach: Gallardo) - Santiago Beltrán; Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Lautaro Rivero, Facundo González; Aníbal Moreno, Fausto Vera, Tomás Galván; Joaquín Freitas, Ian Subiabre, Sebastián Driussi. Banfield (Coach: Pedro Troglio) - Facundo Sanguinetti; Santiago López, Danilo Arboleda, Nicolás Meriano, Ignacio Abraham; Ignacio Pais, Lautaro Villegas, Lautaro Gómez, Lisandro Piñeiro; Mauro Méndez, Tiziano Perrotta. Referee: Hernán Mastrángelo; VAR: Ariel Penel.
