On a rainy afternoon-evening at the Monumental, River defeated San Martín de San Juan 2-0 in the seventh round of the 2025 Clausura Tournament and once again became the sole leader of its group. The goals came in a three-minute burst thanks to finishes by Santiago Lencina and Maximiliano Salas, which sealed a key victory to maintain the good streak.
The match began with some confusion for the home side when Ignacio Maestro Puch hit a shot off the post, causing alarm in Núñez. However, the response was immediate: first, the young Lencina took advantage of a rebound in the opponent's box to open the scoring.
Immediately afterward, Salas extended the lead with a play typical of his style: grit, power and a shot across to the far post.
From that point on, the Millonario was superior to the San Juan side, with some defensive errors and clear chances for the visitors. However, it was not enough to change the course of the match, which ultimately ended in a victory for the home team.
With this result, Marcelo Gallardo's team reached 15 points, which allows it to lead Group B. Meanwhile, San Martín remained stuck at 8 points and is still last in the relegation table, occupying a relegation spot with nine rounds left in the championship.
In addition, the 3 points allowed the Núñez side to reclaim the top spot in the annual table, which had temporarily been held by Boca after its win over Aldosivi in Mar del Plata.
The next fixture
The Millonario will not play again for another two weeks, when it visits Estudiantes de La Plata at Estadio Uno on Saturday, September 13. For that match, both clubs will likely field alternative line-ups, since they have Copa Libertadores commitments a few days later (River - Palmeiras [9/16] and Estudiantes - Flamengo [9/17]).
