River Plate Beats Estudiantes RC 1–0; Visitors Relegated

River Plate secured a 1–0 victory over Estudiantes de Río Cuarto on Saturday at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, marking the team's return after a 21-day break due to the FIFA international window. Marcos Acuña scored the decisive goal in the sixth minute, meeting Ángel Correa's cross from the right flank with a sliding finish at the far post.

River dominated possession throughout the match. Estudiantes de Río Cuarto controlled less than 30% of the ball and failed to register a single shot on target, reflecting the visitors' severe limitations in attack. Despite comfortable control, River was unable to extend its lead beyond Acuña's early goal, though the hosts managed the match with relative ease after falling behind in its fixture schedule.

The result carries major consequences for Estudiantes de Río Cuarto. The loss marks the team's eighth defeat of the season and triggers immediate relegation to Argentina's second division with five matches remaining in the Clausura tournament. Estudiantes RC finished last in Zone B with just 6 points from 28 matches—the worst performance by any team in the 30-team format that began in 2015, having won only two games.

For River Plate, the victory moves the team to 16 points and ninth place in Zone B, keeping the club outside the playoff positions. The team faces Sarmiento in Junín on Wednesday in a rescheduled match from Matchday 11. Leonardo Ponzio, in his interim role as head coach following Eduardo Coudet's departure, made his first lineup change of his tenure, benching Thiago Almada (recovering from a left quadriceps muscle strain) and replacing him with young midfielder Lautaro Pereyra. Other notable returns included midfielder Aníbal Moreno, who featured in the squad after 45 days out with a lumbar disc condition.