River beat Gimnasia La Plata 2-1 at River Camp in round 12 of the Women's Clausura, although the score does not fully describe a match the Triperas managed to contest. Silvana Villalobos's team produced strong phases, equalised early in the second half and came close to doing so again. Home efficiency and one build-up error ultimately tilted the afternoon.
The opening favoured River, who created a clear opportunity and forced an excellent response from goalkeeper Gargaglione. Gimnasia needed several minutes to settle, then began circulating the ball through their lines and finding space. Florencia Gaetán produced one of the most dangerous moves with a cross-shot that tested the home goalkeeper. The visitors failed to convert that improvement into a goal.
As the first half appeared headed towards a scoreless interval, River opened after 40 minutes. Gargaglione saved the initial effort, but the move continued and the second shot reached the net. The goal arrived during the lowest-intensity phase and punished Gimnasia's lack of resolution at the opposite end. The home lead forced Villalobos to change energy and depth.
The response was immediate. Two minutes into the second half, Gaetán was fouled and Micaela Adorno struck the free-kick precisely for 1-1. The set piece rewarded Triperas' work and reopened the contest completely. Yet equality lasted only two minutes: a faulty exit left the ball available to Mercedes Diz, who converted River's 2-1 lead.
That exchange decided the score but did not extinguish the visitors' pursuit. Gimnasia moved their lines forward, accepted risk and left spaces that River tried to exploit on the counter. Gargaglione responded several times to keep the margin at one. After 30 minutes, Montenegro struck powerfully from distance; the crossbar denied the equaliser and illustrated how close the La Plata side came.
River dropped deeper in the closing stretch and defended their advantage with order, while Gimnasia's substitutes attempted to provide freshness. Millonarias added three important points in an effort to recover ground in a table where the main challengers had moved ahead. Triperas remained near the bottom despite a performance containing more arguments than its final reward.
The next step requires turning positive signs into points. Gimnasia host Belgrano in round 13 with an opportunity to retain their circulation, improve finishing and avoid the exit errors exploited by Mercedes Diz. River travel to Banfield in a compressed programme. Micaela Adorno delivered a high-quality goal; collectively, the challenge is ensuring such a reaction is not cancelled by an immediate lapse again.
