River Plate falls at home to Barracas Central in debut for Otamendi and Correa

River Plate began their Torneo Clausura campaign with an unexpected 0-1 home defeat against Barracas Central on Saturday. The match, held at the Estadio Monumental, also served as the debut for prominent new signings Nicolás Otamendi and Ángel Correa.

Barracas Central secured the victory with a single goal from Gonzalo Morales in the 22nd minute. This loss deepens River Plate's difficult start to the semester, which already included a 1-3 elimination from the Copa Argentina by Arsenal de Sarandí. The team was met with whistles from its own supporters as they left the field.

In addition to Otamendi, who arrived from Benfica, and Correa, who joined from Tigres of Mexico, River Plate added other players for the current semester. These include Colombian Rafael Santos Borré, who started the match, and the introductions of Uruguayan Mauro Arambarri and Lucas Beltrán.

Before the game, a minute of applause was held in recognition of the Argentine national team's runner-up finish in the recent 2026 World Cup. River Plate also honored Nicolás Otamendi and Gonzalo Montiel with plaques for their participation in the World Cup squad. In other results from Saturday, Newell's Old Boys defeated Talleres de Córdoba 1-0, and Estudiantes de Río Cuarto secured a similar 1-0 victory over Tigre.