Boston River snaps winless run at the Gran Parque Central, beats Nacional 2-1

Snapping a six-game winless streak, and doing it at the Gran Parque Central, on the road, against Nacional. That was the statement Boston River made this Sunday, in the opening round of the 2026 Torneo Clausura, with a 2-1 result that left plenty to unpack.

Things started going wrong for the Tricolor in the second half. Ruben Botta put El Sastre ahead in the 51st minute, but Nacional answered quickly, drawing level just six minutes later thanks to an own goal by Maxi Silvera (57'). The hope was short-lived for the home side: in the 65th minute, Facundo Munoa made it 2-1 for Boston River, who held on for the win.

In the mixed zone, Ignacio Ithurralde did not hide his satisfaction with how his team pulled out a match that had been slipping away. "We needed to win, and we needed to win the way we did: with authority, with good play, and by battling when we had to. Very happy with the players, with the team, and it's a win that comes at a great time for us," the coach said.

Asked about the team's poor run of results, the coach was blunt: the performances had been there, but the finishing hadn't. "The performance level has been there. We went a lot of games without winning, but the team was functioning well, and we were lacking effectiveness at both ends of the field. That happened to us again in the first half, but fortunately we managed to get the result in the second," Ithurralde explained.

A game plan built for the pressure of the Parque Central

El Sastre's coach also detailed how they planned for the match knowing Nacional came into it needing a win on home turf. "Nacional has good players, quality players, and a good coach, but we know about their need to pick up points, to win, to look good and to play well, and we knew that if we pressed them and they made a mistake somewhere, we could play a little on the pressure from the fans, and that worked out pretty well," he admitted.

The absence of Maxi Gomez, suspended after picking up too many yellow cards, also factored into the analysis. Ithurralde, who coached him at Defensor Sporting, did not shy away from what he means to the Tricolor: "It mattered a lot, he's Nacional's top scorer and the one who usually unlocks games. I know he's a different kind of player, top class. I had him at Defensor. And clearly it worked in our favor that he wasn't out there."

On the positive side, the coach praised the standout performance of Facundo Aristegui, one of the young names in Boston River's lineup: "He did exactly what he's been doing in every training session, that's why he played this game. It speaks well of Boston's project, of its work developing young players."

The midfield switch and the win over a big club

One of the moves that raised questions was leaving Agustin Amado out of the starting lineup entirely, not even included among the substitutes, to make room for Lautaro Vazquez. Ithurralde explained it in tactical terms: "It was a technical decision. We needed a bit more bite in midfield, and we believe Lautaro Vazquez has more of a defensive profile, especially in terms of intensity, duels won and recoveries."

He added the diagnosis they had been making of the team: "We had identified that even though we were playing well, we were losing the battles in the duels, and we tried to bring in players with a bit more of a defensive edge in those duels, and fortunately it worked out well."

Asked whether beating one of the big clubs tastes different, the coach was direct: "It's special because we beat a big club and because we needed the win. I don't care if people say we don't beat the big teams; we beat Penarol at the Viera not long ago."

Ithurralde went further, discussing the structural difficulties a team like his faces against Uruguayan soccer's traditional powerhouses: "I understand, given the way I see soccer, that it's very hard to beat the big clubs because of the financial and budget gaps, but with our idea, which is always to try to propose, to try to play soccer, I think that makes it a bit harder. But I always trust the idea, trust the players, and above all, seeing their commitment gives me real satisfaction."

The match also had a heated finish. After the final whistle, a scuffle broke out between both squads, leading to three red cards handed out by referee Hernan Heras. On that incident, Ithurralde preferred not to go into detail: "I have no idea what happened. I saw a scrum form and tried to pull some guys apart."