River Looks Up the Standings Again After Two Wins Under Ponzio, Now One Point From the Playoffs

Just a few weeks ago, calling River a contender sounded almost naive. Today, two wins later, Leonardo Ponzio's side is looking up the standings with fresh eyes. Nothing is guaranteed yet, but the mood has shifted, and with it, so has the read on what lies ahead.

Let's start with the most pressing matter: the Torneo Clausura. River has 10 points in Zone B, and eighth place, the spot that earns a playoff berth, sits just one point away, currently held by Independiente Rivadavia. Above them are Central, Tigre and Belgrano with 12; Gimnasia and Sarmiento with 15; and leaders Argentinos Juniors with 17. Tight numbers, the kind a good run can reshuffle in a couple of matchdays.

And River knows something about runs right now. Since Ponzio took over, the team has strung together two straight wins right when it needed confidence most. The most significant was the 3-1 win over Independiente Rivadavia, no less than the team that was then atop the annual standings. Galván scored twice, and the team showed some spark up front, with Almada, Correa and Driussi all making an impact at different points in the match. The problems haven't vanished overnight, but the confidence, that ingredient that had been so hard to come by in recent months, is starting to show again.

Making the Playoffs Could Change Everything

Here's a detail worth keeping in mind: in the Clausura, the immediate goal isn't finishing first in the zone, it's cracking the top eight. Once there, everything resets with a straight knockout format, which favors a team on the rise. River doesn't need to dominate Zone B right now. Qualifying and arriving in top form when it matters most is enough.

The schedule helps too. Next Saturday, River travels to face Atlético Tucumán with fans in the away end, then hosts Huracán before the FIFA date break. Coming back, a tough but manageable stretch awaits: Sarmiento in Junín, Estudiantes de Río Cuarto at the Monumental, Belgrano in Córdoba and Racing again at home. If River holds this level, that stretch could be the hinge point of the season.

The Annual Table Is Still Wide Open

The picture looks different in the annual standings, though no less interesting. River has 39 points and sits seven back of leaders Argentinos Juniors, who have climbed to 46. In between are Central, Gimnasia, Boca, Vélez and Independiente Rivadavia. The gap is real, yes, but there are still 24 points up for grabs over the eight remaining matchdays, and in a table this tight, every win counts double: it closes the gap on the leader and puts distance on everyone in between.

There's one detail that adds extra spice to all this: on matchday 15, River will visit Boca at La Bombonera, and if the pace holds, River could arrive at that match still with mathematical chances of topping the annual table. A Superclásico that, under that scenario, would be much more than just a rivalry game: it would be a direct decider, with only two matchdays left to play after it.

River, then, has two paths open at once: a short one, just one point from the Clausura playoffs, and a longer one, seven points from the top of the annual table with 24 still in play. What ties both stories together is the timing: the turnaround came right when there was no more room to lose ground. Now, with two wins banked, it's on Ponzio to build on what he's started.