Rivadavia causes huge upset over Fluminese in Rio
Independiente Rivadavia silenced the Maracana to claim a famous 2-1 victory over Fluminense in one of the biggest upsets in recent Copa Libertadores history.
The stunning result broght to an end the Rio club's five-year unbeaten run at home in the competition, which consisted of 15 matches, and it was also Rivadavia's first road trip in the club's Libertadores history.
The visitors from Mendoza had arrived in Brazil with intent, with coach Berti publicly declaring before kick-off that his side had made the trip to win, and it made good on that promise.
Fluminense drew first blood when Guilherme Arana broke the deadlock after 10 minutes, lashing home a fierce shot to send the home crowd into full voice.
That appeared to set the hosts on course for a routine victory, and indeed it created the better of the chances in the early stages.
But Rivadavia refused to wilt. Fabrizio Sartori levelled on 37 minutes to stun the Maracana before half-time, and the Argentinean side completed the turnaround when Alex Arce struck six minutes into the second half to put the underdogs into an unlikely lead.
Fluminense pressed desperately for an equaliser, finishing the match with 71 per cent of the possession and firing off 21 shots to Rivadavia's eight, but it was let down by wastefulness in front of goal while the visitors were clinical.
Visiting goalkeeper Nicolas Bolcato was kept busy, making five saves, as Rivadavia dug in magnificently.
The Tricolor had also been significantly weakened by injury, with German Cano among several key absentees, but there was no diminishing Rivadavia's achievement.
Having also beaten Bolívar 1–0 on Matchday 1, the Argentinean side now sits top of Group C, and is arguably the story of the competition so far.
For Fluminese, it is now rooted to the bottom of the table and winless, and will be desperate to turn things around when the next matchday comes around.
