What seemed like the beginning of a comeback ended in the worst possible way. River fell 3-1 to Palmeiras in the second leg of the quarterfinals and was eliminated from the Copa Libertadores.
In the opening moments of the match, ball possession was divided, but Verdao was the first to threaten with a powerful shot from Joaquin Piquerez from outside the box that Franco Armani saved, although the play was ruled out for a previous offside.
However, River was not intimidated and minutes later, Maximiliano Salas scored with a header to make it 0-1 and temporarily tie the aggregate after a set-piece cross from Juanfer Quintero.
With the score against them, the home team quickly looked to pull one back to regain the lead in the series, but, between their own mistakes and the interventions of the Millonario goalkeeper, the score remained unchanged.
In the 25th minute, Marcelo Gallardo decided to take off Juan Portillo due to his physical discomfort and his early yellow card, and brought on Enzo Pérez, who received the captain's armband that Armani had worn until then.
Before the end of the first half, the Argentine team had a clear chance at the feet of Kevin Castaño, but Weverton managed to tip the ball away at the last moment to save his team.
