An overwhelming victory, with high-flying football passages and the explosion of Salomón Rondón in the network were the virtues he taught River, that beat Huracán 3-0 and consolidates itself at the top of the Professional League position table. The millionaires came out to play at the Ducó palace knowing that any of the three possible results would keep them in front, but that advantage did not mean that the team was relaxed, inattentive or inattentive: they developed half an hour of a superlative level, in which he made an overwhelming difference and capitalized with two goals in just 17 minutes. Two conquests that had the stamp of the Venezuelan gunner, the forward whose performance was beginning to be under the magnifying glass and to whom the coach Martin Demichelis launched from the beginning, when it seemed not to appear among the preferences.
Coach He has known Rondón for more than a decade: they shared the Málaga dressing room. On the Costa del Sol both played under the orders of the Chilean Manuel Pellegrini. It was the time when the Venezuelan dreamed of wearing the Boca shirt. “It would be the icing on the cake and there would be nothing more to tell,” he commented, in 2020.
But fate had another road map prepared for the striker who can now boast of having scored in all the clubs in which he played, from his debut in Aragua –a club from Maracaibo- to his last stage in Everton, in the Premier League. In the middle, Las Palmas and Malaga, from Spain; Rubin Kazan, Zenit and CSKA Moscow, from Russia; West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle, from the Premier League; Dalian Pro, from China. It was Demichelis who pointed to the 33-year-old soccer player to reinforce the offensive of the millionaires, who would retrace a new cycle, now without the imprint that Marcelo Gallardo imposed. And it was the DT who surprised him with the decision: “Yes, because Lucas [Beltrán] He had been doing well and playing alone. I had the opportunity and the bow opened for me”, he recounted, smiling, at the end of the TV broadcast.
With Huracán it was the third time that Rondón had appeared on the Professional League roster as a starter. The defeat once morest Arsenal and the victory once morest Lanús, the remaining opportunities that DT gave him. For the visit to the Globo -following the trip to La Paz, where the millionaires made their debut with a stumbling block in front of The Strongest, for the Copa Libertadores- the Gladiator and the youthful Beltrán were chosen to compose the offensive, the same formula of the fall with Arsenal, in the Monumental. The understanding was quick It took just six minutes to connect and produce the action that marked the opening: Nacho Fernández enabled Beltrán, who with a pass left Rondón in front of goalkeeper Chávez. He did not finish off, because Pizarro knocked him down.
At the moment Rondón took the ball to execute the penalty, Barco approached to take possession of the shot, although he quickly gave up, as if understanding that it was a unique opportunity for the Venezuelan to break the spell and celebrate a goal once more. The thing is since March 3, 2022 who has not scored in an official match: Boreham Wood -currently in the British National League-, for the Carabao Cup, the last stamp in the statistics. The scorer did not miss: with a soft shot he deceived the goalkeeper.
Beltrán offered to rebound and attack the ball, while Rondón was the one who was going to occupy the spaces. The movements made sense, the coordination showed that the training work, which sometimes takes longer than a DT wishes, ends up being realized when the three points are at stake. “It was a matter of continuing to work, looking for it. The important thing is that we add up, I was able to score goals. I have said it since I arrived: with Miguel [Borja]Lucas, Nacho, I had to get to know them”, he pointed out regarding the distrustful looks, because the Venezuelan – he signed a three-year contract – did not register in the network.
I respect criticism, but You have to be careful with the players of the hierarchy, because you cannot buy or win from one day to the next. Salomón left South America young to make a career in Europe. You have to be patient. He left at the age of 17 and only now is he getting ready with a lot of things, from the cultural side as well. From private to receiving the DNI, finding a house, a car, school… This week the training was impressive. For me I had to play. I would have liked Miguel to play too [Borja] -I thought regarding it- and that Lucas entered the last 30 minutes with his intensity. But well, I decided for Salomón and Lucas and I am very happy for him. He, Lucas and Miguel can give us a lot”, analyzed Demichelis.
If Barco didn’t cause a stir like when he denied Beltrán the opportunity to score a hat-trickHe was not selfish in enabling it either, following an individual maneuver in which he gradually got rid of his opponents. He read the uncheck and Rondón defined to increase the advantage. In 17 minutes, River achieved an unexpected result and kept up the pace. Casco, Barco, Enzo Díaz -he hesitated between finishing off and assisting-, they were able to design a win in the first half; Huracán woke up at the end of the stage, with the youthful Gauto as the flag. Castro’s prowess left Cóccaro facing the goal, but Armani became giant and deflected the ball.
Overflowing with confidence, Rondón was regarding to convert from a cue and then had the chance to hat-trickwhich would have been the ninth of his career. Pizarro knocked him down once more in the area, by holding him by the shirt, a sanction that was alerted by the VAR. The defender was sent off and Chávez guessed the Venezuelan’s shot; Enzo Pérez scored following the rebound, but referee Tello had the execution repeated, by simultaneous invasion. Barco took charge, scored 3-0 and the game ended up having half an hour left over, in which the highlight was a power outage and the recognition of the Huracán fans for the game played by the youthful Gauto.
