River beats Argentinos but Montiel injury throws Sudamericana defense into doubt

River won, but left the Monumental with more questions than answers. The 2-0 win over Argentinos in the 2026 Clausura Tournament took a back seat as soon as word got out about why Gonzalo Montiel had to come off just six minutes into the second half: discomfort in his left adductor that forced him off the field immediately and now puts Marcelo "Chacho" Coudet's defense in jeopardy ahead of the Sudamericana.

Up to that point, it had been a near-perfect night for the fullback. Montiel had opened the scoring, and with that goal ended a drought of 397 minutes without finding the net. It was his 16th goal in a River shirt in 201 appearances for the Núñez club, and he celebrated it in full: a kiss to the badge and a gesture to the fans asking for forgiveness, like someone shedding a weight off his shoulders. Then came the bad news. In a challenge for the ball he felt a sharp pain, asked to come off right away and went straight to get ice on the area. He spent the rest of the match on the bench, with a look of pain and resignation on his face. Giovani González came on in his place.

The question on everyone's mind at Núñez is simple: will Montiel be ready for Wednesday, when River travels to face Independiente Santa Fe in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana? That match, which had already been postponed last week due to the earthquake that struck Colombia, now carries an extra layer of tension for Coudet.

A puzzle with missing pieces

If Montiel isn't available, the options are slim. Yutiel Susano, recovered from a pubalgia injury and already training with the first team, is the only right back registered for the Sudamericana, but throwing him into a knockout-stage start feels like too big a gamble for Coudet's style. Giovani González himself, who came on against Argentinos, isn't even on the roster for the international competition. And there isn't much else to choose from: Obregón and Salvatierra are injured, Ulises Giménez is on loan at Sarmiento, Matías Unyicio now plays for Racing de Montevideo, and Fabricio Bustos has been set apart from the squad, relegated to the much talked about container at the Ezeiza training complex.

On the left side things aren't much better: Marcos Acuña looks very unlikely to be ready in time, though it isn't out of the question that the medical staff tries to rush his return out of sheer necessity, a move that would complicate plans for the return leg in Buenos Aires.

With that outlook, Coudet is starting to weigh emergency options. One is a back three with Otamendi, Rivero and Facundo González. The other involves stretching a back four by shifting Martínez Quarta out to fullback, with Otamendi, Tobías Ramírez (who has played just one Reserve match since knee surgery) and Rivero rounding out the backline.

Nothing has been decided yet. The exact extent of Montiel's injury should be known today, and much of the defensive plan Coudet takes to Colombia hinges on that medical report.