River's day after Boca's elimination from the Copa Libertadores: how Alianza Lima's blow at La Bombonera affected the 'Millonario'

One is waiting for the other. It happened, it happens and it will always happen . Since the beginning of football. So, Tuesday night was not indifferent for River. Just as the unexpected event generated a very big impact in La Boca, it also produced it in Núñez, but in the opposite sense, of course. Udaondo and Figueroa Alcorta echoed the elimination of their eternal rival from the Copa Libertadores against Alianza Lima at the Bombonera and there were allusive messages, elliptical references and chicanery .

"Good morning, Millonarios! There are 19 days left until the draw for the group stage of the Libertadores," River posted on its official account. The information, which is for informational purposes only, has a much deeper meaning in this context. It is that on March 17, when the balls spin around the cups to define the Libertadores groups, the piece of paper with River's name will be there and Boca's will not.

The defeat of the eternal rival in the penalties also left no chance of having a Superclásico in the group stage. The fact is that the groups cannot be made up of teams from the same country, unless one of them arrives from the initial stages. That could have happened with the Xeneize. But it did not happen. The team from Ribera was left out in phase 2 and not only will it not play the Libertadores, but it will also not have the possibility of playing in the Copa Sudamericana.

River fans then flooded social media with memes and references alluding to Boca's hard blow. And there were also other messages that did not go unnoticed. Such as that of the former president of the club, Rodolfo D'Onofrio , who recalled a phrase by Mauricio Macri shortly before the historic final in Madrid in 2018. "Before December 9, 2918, someone said that whoever lost would take 20 years to recover. He was right," D'Onofrio wrote on his X account . "Whoever loses will take 20 years to recover," Macri had said at the time. Of course, this is not an institutional position of the club since D'Onofrio does not currently have any management position at River.

Many also remembered Néstor Gorosito's time at the club. Pipo is a local son. He came from River and was part of the Bambino Veira squad, multi-champion in 1986. And he also had a stint as coach during 2009 that, although it was not fruitful, left a lasting memory of a passionate goal shout in front of the Boca fans in the 1-1 draw of the 2009 Clausura Superclásico that was tied by Marcelo Gallardo. And the postcard of him holding his nose on his way to the substitutes' bench.

River Plate hero Beto Alonso recalled Pipo's time as a footballer for the institution by posting a photo of the two of them dressed as footballers alongside Enzo Francescoli on his social networks. Now, Gorosito's River Plate gene, which he evidently still has, came out and left a memorable phrase in reference to the Bombonera and the supposed pressure it exerts on rivals. "It's biri biri," said the Alianza Lima coach. And the millionaire fans didn't let it go. They remembered it with Boca's elimination.

Pipo's assistants, Gustavo Zapata and Jorge "Cacho" Borelli, as well as Gorosito, lived a special night and enjoyed the victory at the Bombonera. They, like Gorosito, played for River.

Beyond the relief that it may represent for River to have its eternal rival out of the way, Marcelo Gallardo's team will now have to improve to arrive in the best shape for the start of the Copa Libertadores, which will be in April, and begin a journey with the clear objective of winning it. Can Boca's elimination give it an extra boost in spirit? It remains to be seen...