River Plate started the Apertura 2026 tournament with a narrow 1-0 away win over Barracas Central. Gonzalo Montiel scored the decisive header goal early in the second half. Marcelo Gallardo's team dominated the match, though controversy arose over an uncall penalty.
The match took place on Saturday, January 23, 2026, at the Claudio 'Chiqui' Tapia stadium, with Nicolás Ramírez as referee and Héctor Paletta on VAR. River, coached by Marcelo Gallardo, took control from the start, dominating possession and creating the clearest chances, but went into halftime scoreless after an entertaining first half.
At the 16th minute of the first half, the main controversy emerged: after a team play, Fausto Vera shot in Barracas' box, but Gastón Campi cleared off the line. All of River claimed a handball penalty on the defender, though Ramírez waved play on and VAR did not intervene.
The second half began with an incident: at the 4th minute, Ramírez collided with Facundo Bruera and injured his ankle, needing medical attention, but he continued. Shortly after, at the 14th minute, Juan Fernando Quintero took a free kick from the left, and Montiel rose at the far post to head past Marcelo Miño, making it 1-0.
River kept control but squandered opportunities, like Sebastián Driussi's volley saved by Miño at the 42nd of the first half, and Maxi Salas' miss under the bar at the 40th of the second. Barracas tried counterattacks, with a notable run by Taborda at the 38th of the second half, but failed to score. Santiago Beltrán had a quiet debut in River's goal.
The win highlighted defensive solidity and strong performances from reinforcements like Aníbal Moreno and Fausto Vera. In the next round, River will host Gimnasia at the Monumental, while Barracas travels to Aldosivi.
