River snatch away draw at Atletico Nacional

Atletico Nacional of Colombia and Argentinian giants River Plate played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final in Medellin on Wednesday,according to FIFA.com.

Orlando Berrio’s 34th-minute strike put the hosts in the ascendancy at the EstadioAtanasioGirardot, but Leonardo Pisculichiequalized midway through the second half.

The draw ensured there will be all to play for in next Wednesday’s second leg at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.

Nacional started brightly and looked threatening early on through the lively Edwin Cardona. They took a deserved lead 11 minutes before the interval when Cardona’s long pass found Orlando Berrio, whose shot beat River goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero at the far post.

River soon found their feet, though, and dominated proceedings in the second half. Teofilo Gutierrez proved a menace to the home defence, but it was Pisculichi who grabbed the crucial leveller. In the 66th minute, he unleashed a long-range left-footed drive which flew past Nacional goalkeeper Franco Armani.

Nacional midfielder Alexander Mejia was unhappy with the way his side let their lead slip, but promised they would continue in an attacking mode next week. “We controlled the match more in the first half and we could have scored more goals, but we fell asleep in the second period and the tie is still undecided,” he said.

“We can also attack as visitors. It will be a different match, different environment, but we’ll attack them.”

River coach Marcelo Gallardo, in contrast, was pleased with the outcome. “We did not play well in the first half, but corrected a lot of things in the second,” he said.

“That is why we played the second half the way we played. It is a good result for us. We played good football and we’ll define the finals at home.”

M.D