he Copa Libertadores was forced
to shut down for six months and,
as the Argentine championship
has yet to resume, it meant that
when South America’s premier
club competition resumed in
mid-September, River Plate had not played a
competitive match in all that time. Even training
opportunities had been limited. So it was
extraordinary that for the first game back, away to
Sao Paulo of Brazil, River coach Marcelo Gallardo
went with three strikers and two attacking
midfielders.
His ring-rusty team, inevitably far from match
fit, opted to carry the game away to a powerful
opponent in full competitive rhythm – and it worked.
River went behind to an early own goal, roared back
to take the lead, and were only denied victory by
another own goal. Two weeks later, when they met
again in Buenos Aires, promising strikerJulian
Alvarez was in excellent form and River won a fine
2-1 victory, passing holes in the Sao Paulo defence
until the legs grew weary in the second half.
The defeat meant that Sao Paulo were the first,
and probably the only, Brazilian side not to make it
into the knockout stages. To be fair, their group was
the only one with three former champions. But with
one round to go, they had no hope of catching River
or Ecuador’s Liga de Quito.
Two rounds of group matches were played in
early March, and three more in the second half of
September, when amid empty stadiums and detailed
health protocols, much was resolved. Of the16minute penalty, beforeJavi
Martinez scores the winner.
BRAZIL:Flamengo coach
Domenec Torrent tests positive
for coronavirus, bringing the total
number of cases at the club
to17, including several players
and the vice-president.
ITALY:Milan striker Zlatan
Ibrahimovic tests positive
for COVID-19.
NORTH MACEDONIA:Tottenham
Hotspur beat Shkendija 3-1 in
their Europa League qualifier,
but the game is overshadowed
by Spurs bossJose Mourinho
successfully complaining
to UEFA about the size of the
goalposts before the game.
FridaySeptember 25
USA:FC Cincinnati announce
that they’ve formed a strategic
partnership with German
side Hoffenheim.
SaturdaySeptember 26
PARAGUAY:Cerro Porteno
are crowned champions of the
Paraguayan Apertura tournament
after defeating River Plate 3-1.
GERMANY:Augsburg stun
Dortmund by beating them
2-0 to go top of the league.
Approximately 6,000 fans were
allowed inside the stadium to
watch the game.
ITALY:Internazionale score
twice in the last three minutes
to seal a thrilling 4-3 victory
over Fiorentina, while Atalanta
beat Torino 4-2 away in an
exciting evening in Serie A.
SundaySeptember 27
ENGLAND:An extraordinary
Premier League weekend,
withLeicester winning5-2at
Manchester City, Manchester
United beating Brighton 3-2 with
a penalty awarded by VAR after
the final whistle had blown, and
Chelsea recovering from a 3-0
deficittodrawwithWestBrom.
GERMANY:Bayern Munich’s
32-match unbeaten run is brought
toanendbyHoffenheimina
shock 4-1 defeat.
MondaySeptember 28
PAPUA NEW GUINEA:
Reigning champions Lae City
FC finish top of the 2019-20
National Soccer League.
TuesdaySeptember 29
TURKMENISTAN:Turkmenistan
welcomes the return of
Copa Libertadores
round-up
Group stage of delayed competition finally
reaches its conclusionT
South America
TIM VICKERYIn form...BocaJuniors finished top of Group H