River Plate will host Barcelona de Guayaquil for the second matchday of the Copa Libertadores group stage without the presence of fans. This measure is due to the sanction imposed by Conmebol as a consequence of the spectacular reception in last year's semifinals against Atlético Mineiro. Consequently, the match will be played behind closed doors.
Due to this measure, from 9:30 PM tomorrow, the stands of the Monumental will be empty, and the atmosphere will remind us of those matches played during the pandemic, where the only sounds were the shouts of the players and the technical staff members, and the ball in motion.
The last time this happened was in 2021. At that time, River also faced Atlético Mineiro on August 11, in a match corresponding to the first leg of the quarterfinals. In that match, Nacho Fernández, who had recently moved from River to the Brazilian team, scored the only goal of that night. Later in the rematch in Brazil, the Belo Horizonte team would crush 3-0 the team led by Muñeco Gallardo.
