River Plate 2-0 Mexico: Player Ratings From El Tri's Defeat in Argentina

El Tri's inexperienced side looked overwhelmed against River Plate for long stretches of the game.

River Plate dominated the game forcing Mexico to chase the ball for much of the contest. / IMAGO/PHOTOxPHOT

Mexico's young and inexperienced side were inferior for much of the night and fell 0-2 to River Plate at the Estadio Monumental.

El Tri suffered in the first half, struggling to string together more than three passes. River Plate were the superior side from the get go and it only took eight minutes for the ball to find Giuliano Galoppo after a corner kick and the midfielder fired it into the top corner to open the scoring. The hosts kept having chances and in the 33rd minute, Miguel Borja blasted a shot from outside the box to beautifully double the lead going into halftime.

Similarly to the friendly against Internacional last week, the second half became a substitution frenzy. Marcelo Gallardo made nine second half substitutions to Javier Aguirre's six. El Tri did improve in the final stretch of the game, with 16-year old Gilberto Mora and 19-year-old Elias Montiel looking like the bright spots of the night for a Mexico side that were outclassed overall. There were few clear chances in the second half, with the chants coming from the packed stands of the Estadio Monumental taking center stage.

Mexico managed only one shot on target during the match, further showcasing how overwhelmed they were by the Argentina giants. Aguirre said that the result wasn't as important as making sure his young side didn't crumble under the pressure of the stage, and it must be said that Mexican players didn't look anxious or pressured on the ball, they were just beat by a superior team.

So ends El Tri's January tour in South America, with one victory, one loss and plenty to analyze moving forward.

Player ratings from the night below.

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River Plate Player Ratings vs. Mexico (4-3-3)

Players	Ratings
GK: Franco Armani	7/10
RB: Gonzalo Montiel	7.5/10
CB: Germán Pezzella	7.5/10
CB: Lucas Martínez	7/10
LB: Milton Casco	7/10
CM: Giuliano Galoppo	8.5/10
CM: Enzo Pérez	7/10
CM: Maxi Meza	8/10
AM: Manuel Lanzini	7.5/10
ST: Miguel Borja	9/10
ST: Facundo Colidio	7.5/10
SUB: Marcos Acuña (46' for Casco)	7/10
SUB: Matias Kranevitter (46' for Pérez)	6.5/10
SUB: Paulo Díaz (59' for Martínez)	7/10
SUB: Gonzalo Tapia (59' for Colidio)	6.5/10
SUB: Rodrigo Aliendro (59' for Galoppo)	7/10
SUB: Santiago Simón (59' for Montiel)	6/10
SUB: Matías Rojas (68' for Lanzini)	6.5/10
SUB: Pablo Solari (69' for Borja)	6/10
SUB: Ignacio Fernández (69' for Meza)	7/10

Mexico Player Ratings vs. River Plate (3-4-3)

Players	Ratings
GK: Andrés Sánchez	7.5/10
CB: Víctor Guzmán	6/10
CB: Erik Lira	6/10
CB: Gustavo Sánchez	6.5/10
RWB: José Castillo	7/10
CM: Roberto Meraz	6/10
CM: Jeremy Márquez	6.5/10
LWB: Jesús Gallardo	6/10
RW: Efraín Álvarez	6.5/10
LW: Raymundo Fulgencio	6/10
ST: Guillermo Martínez	6/10
SUB: Rivaldo Lozano (46' for Fulgencio)	7/10
SUB: Pedro Pedraza (46' for Meraz)	6.5/10
SUB: José Ramirez (59' for Álvarez)	6.5/10
SUB: Santiago Muñoz (60' for Castillo)	7.5/10
SUB: Gilberto Mora (69' for Martínez)	8/10
SUB: Elías Montiel (69' for Gallardo)	8/10

Player of the Match: Miguel Borja (River Plate)

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