Boston River stuns Nacional 2-1 in the Clausura as Muñoa strikes and a red card seals it

Gran Parque Central went quiet twice in less than 15 minutes, and that combination proved costly for Nacional. Boston River walked away with a heavyweight win, 2-1, in a match that started out tough for El Sastre and ended with visiting celebrations, arguments on the field and even red cards once the final whistle blew.

The match, part of the Torneo Clausura, was decided in an electric stretch of the second half. Rubén Botta put the Tricolores ahead at the 51st minute, and everything pointed to Nacional cruising to a home win. But Boston River didn't fall apart: at the 57th minute the equalizer came through an own goal by Maxi Silvera, and just eight minutes later, at the 65th, Facundo Muñoa flipped the score with what would end up being the decisive goal.

What happened in the stands was also part of the story. The Tricolor faithful, frustrated with the team's sluggish performance, made their discontent known for much of the match. Juan Acosta, El Sastre's right back, noticed it from the field, though he insisted his team wasn't rattled by it.

Obviously you can feel the nervousness from outside, but it wasn't about us. Obviously you sometimes hear the murmuring, but we stuck to our business and they stuck to theirs, and we tried to do our best.Juan Acosta

The celebration of the win didn't end without incident. Acosta was one of three players sent off after the final whistle, following a heated exchange with Camilo Cándido, who took issue with the way the visitors celebrated the victory inside Nacional's own stadium.

I had Boston's fans behind the goal and my teammates on the bench. I'm not going to make a big deal of it, it stays there, it's just heat of the moment stuff and nothing really happened, it was just an argument. Nothing more than that.Juan Acosta

The 32-year-old right back, who has played for clubs like Cerro Largo, Peñarol and Wanderers, admitted the red card stings more for what it represents than for the football itself, since he had picked it up on a second yellow. "It does bother me because it's not something I like and because nothing really happened. Obviously the shoving might have looked ugly and unnecessary, I think a conversation between the players could have sorted it out," he explained.

Muñoa's goal and Aristegui's breakout performance

On the football side, Facundo Muñoa was a direct protagonist with the goal that ended up being the winner. The creative midfielder pointed out that the result had been a long time coming for a team that, in his view, had been playing better than the results showed.

I'm really happy for the group, for having helped my teammates with the goal. We deserved this win a few games back because we'd been playing well, but the results just weren't coming.Facundo Muñoa

Muñoa also broke down the style of play coach Ignacio Ithurralde has been building, and described the halftime message when the team was trailing on the scoreboard: don't panic, and trust that things would fall into place if they kept control of the match.

Before wrapping up, he had a special word for teammate Facundo Aristegui, who turned in a standout performance, including a nutmeg that stood out as one of the most memorable plays of the afternoon. "He's a kid who deserves it, he's been working really hard. He's fearless, he showed it today and he's the same in training," Muñoa concluded.