Belgrano hizo historia al mandar a River al descenso.
The Córdoba team, coached by Ricardo Zielinski, who is currently their manager, defeated the Millonario 2-0 at home and in the second leg secured a 1-1 draw at the Monumental.
That result allowed them to be promoted to Primera División and achieve something historic: making River play a season in the B Nacional.
Fourteen years have passed, but for Belgrano fans, it feels as if it happened yesterday.
Belgrano hizo historia al mandar a River al descenso.
"Because history is written by a TEAM... 18 warriors willing to do anything!", wrote goalkeeper Juan Carlos Olave, a key player in the promotion, as he saved a penalty at the Monumental.
In addition to Olave, that squad included Ribair Rodríguez, Luciano Lollo, Guillermo Farré, who scored an unforgettable goal, "Mudo" Vázquez, Juan Carlos Maldonado, Gastón Turus, César Manzanelli, "Chiqui" Pérez, César Pereyra, among others.
The draw that condemned River to relegation and was celebrated by Belgrano
That afternoon in a packed Estadio Alberto Vespucio Liberti, the Núñez team seemed to quickly turn the story in their favor, giving hope to more than 70,000 souls who suffered like never before in the stands.
When only six minutes of play had passed, Mariano Pavone excelled with a great strike from outside the box so that the team coached by Juan José López was just one goal away from staying up.
Belgrano hizo historia al mandar a River al descenso.
In the second half, tempers began to flare because the second and necessary goal did not come. To make matters worse, at the 60th minute Guillermo Farré took advantage of a glaring defensive error and made it 1-1.
At the 69th minute of the second half, River had a golden opportunity to regain the lead on the scoreboard and recover a glimmer of hope to avoid football catastrophe.
Referee Sergio Pezzotta awarded a penalty to the Millonario and Pavone, who had scored the first, took responsibility for the kick.
The shot was mishit, down the middle, and goalkeeper Juan Carlos Olave saved it to the delight of all Belgrano, who still remember him as a hero and idolize him.
Incidents at River's stadium after relegation against Belgrano
With just a handful of minutes left before the end of the match, and with River needing to score two goals to stay in Primera, something that seemed utopian given the context, some Millonario fans at the Monumental forced the game to be suspended after causing deplorable incidents, throwing all kinds of objects onto the field and even setting part of the stands on fire.
Belgrano fans had to stay for several hours while everything calmed down, as the unrest continued in the surrounding areas.
It was a historic date, unforgettable for Belgrano fans and for all of Córdoba, who celebrated it with madness.
