Argentine football giant River Plate is in crisis just three games into the second half of the season, despite boasting a star-studded squad that includes five 2022 World Cup winners.
The Millonario lost 1-0 at home to Rosario Central on Sunday, extending its winless run to four matches since Argentine football resumed following the World Cup break.
River sits bottom of its group in the 2026 Torneo Clausura after three matchdays. The club was also knocked out of the Copa Argentina — the annual domestic knockout competition, comparable to England’s FA Cup or Spain’s Copa del Rey — after a 3-1 defeat to Aldosivi in July.
If you include its loss to Belgrano (Córdoba) in the Torneo Apertura final in late May, River has now suffered five consecutive defeats in domestic competitions for the first time since 1911, during Argentina’s amateur era.
The current run of three straight league defeats also marks the club’s worst start to a top-flight campaign since the 1994 Clausura tournament, 32 years ago.
Million-dollar signings
The poor results come despite a series of high-profile signings by the club’s board, including Qatar 2022 World Cup winners Ángel Correa and Nicolás Otamendi. Otamendi also featured in Argentina’s squad that reached the 2026 World Cup final.
Their arrivals brought River’s total of World Cup-winning players to five, including Marcos Acuña, Gonzalo Montiel and Germán Pezzella.
River also made other major investments, signing Uruguayan midfielder Mauro Arambarri from Spain’s Getafe for a reported €6 million (US$ 6,9 million) and acquiring Vélez Sarsfield youngster Tobías Andrada for around US$11 million.
Calls for Coudet’s dismissal
The disappointing run has intensified pressure on head coach Eduardo Coudet, whose position was already under scrutiny after the Torneo Apertura final defeat.
Coudet was announced as River Plate head coach in March 2026, following Marcelo Gallardo’s resignation in the midst of a three-game losing streak.
The Millonario sat 10th in Group B of the 2026 Torneo Apertura at the time, having lost 11 of its 15 First Division games, before experiencing an upturn in results after Coudet’s arrival.
During Sunday’s loss to Rosario Central, River fans made their frustration clear, directing chants at the players, club officials and coaching staff.
The first target was the team on the field with the famous “Jugadores…” chant, a stadium staple set to the tune of Bonnie Tyler’s 1977 hit “It’s a Heartache.”
“Hey players, you sons of b*tches, how about putting your heart to it, you’re playing against nobodies,” people sing at the top of their lungs, following the rhythm of the song’s first verse. Nearly 40 years after the original song’s release, the chant has become a classic for big teams facing tough times.
Supporters also turned on the club’s leadership with chants of “Que se vayan todos…” (“Sack them all, out with the lot!”).
After the match, groups of fans gathered in the lobby of the Monumental Stadium to call for the return of Ramón Díaz as head coach. A River icon as both a player and manager, the La Rioja native enjoyed three successful spells in charge, including leading the club to the 1996 Copa Libertadores title.
Coudet, meanwhile, declined to speak publicly after the match, and no postgame press conference was held. Stopped by reporters in the mixed zone and asked about his future at the club, he replied only: “See you later.”
Cover image: River Plate twitter
