Nicolás Otamendi is going through a difficult start to his return to Argentine football. The defender scored an own goal in River Plate's 1-0 defeat to Rosario Central, at the Monumental Stadium, and increased the pressure on the team, which is experiencing an unprecedented negative streak in more than a century.
Otamendi scores against, and River sinks into historic crisis in Argentina
Nicolás Otamendi is going through a difficult start to his return to Argentine football. The defender scored an own goal in River Plate's 1-0 defeat to Rosario Central, at the Monumental Stadium, and increased the...
The goal of the match came in the 27th minute of the first half. When trying to cut off a low cross from Jaminton Campaz, Otamendi deflected the ball into his own net and left goalkeeper Santiago Beltrán unresponsive.
The defender had already been the target of criticism in previous rounds. Against Barracas Central, they accumulated individual errors, while, against Gimnasia, they lost the dispute that ended with Alexis Steimbach's goal. Both matches also ended in defeats by the minimum difference.
Hired free of charge after the end of his previous contract, Otamendi returned to Argentina surrounded by expectations. The start of the 2026/27 season, however, has been marked by below-expected performances and poor results.
With the new setback, River Plate continues without scoring after three rounds and occupies 15th and last position in the Atlantic Group of the Clausura Tournament. The team is tied with Sarmiento de Junín, who still face Independiente Rivadavia.
Rosario Central, led on the field by Ángel Di María, reached four points and provisionally moved up to fourth place. The team appears alongside Atlético Tucumán, Independiente Rivadavia, Banfield and Racing Club.
The defeat also expanded River Plate's negative record. Adding the end of last season and the beginning of the current one, the club has accumulated five consecutive defeats, something that has not happened since 1911.
The fans' dissatisfaction was evident immediately after the own goal. From the stands, boos and chants arose asking the players to leave. Part of the fans also defended the return of coach Ramón Díaz, who led the club between 2012 and 2014 and has been without a team since the end of 2025.
After the match, coach Eduardo Coudet met with president Stéfano Di Carlo and technical secretary Enzo Francescoli, according to Argentine newspaper Olé. The management, for now, does not intend to fire him, but expects a quick reaction in the next commitments.
After the match, Di María celebrated the reunion with Otamendi and highlighted the return of world champion players to their original clubs.
"I had already played against Montiel and Marcos Acuña. Now Nico joins us. I'm very happy to see world champions returning to wear the shirts of the clubs they love", he stated.
The striker also said that he had met Leandro Paredes the day before and wished Otamendi luck in the new stage of his career.
Memphis is expected at Corinthians on Tuesday to complete renewal
Memphis Depay returns to Brazil to undergo medical examinations and complete his renewal with Corinthians until 2028. The new agreement provides for a lower salary, a cut in expenses paid by the club and payment in installments of R$42 million from 2027.
Source: Noticias ao Minuto
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