Santiago Lencina struck twice as River Plate hammered 10-man Instituto ACC 4-0 on Saturday, making for two wins from two matches for the visitors in Argentina’s Clausura championship.
River top Group B standings with six points, while Instituto sit seventh with three points.
Facundo Colidio put River ahead in the 44th minute, with a deflected shot before 19-year-old Lencina doubled their lead just moments before halftime with a left-foot strike that deflected off Instituto centre back Fernando Alarcon.
Lencina made it 3-0 in the 67th minute with a well-controlled shot after receiving the ball in the box, while Instituto were reduced to 10 men six minutes later, after midfielder Francis Manuel Mac Allister received a red card for a foul on Lencina.
River made the most of the red as Giuliano Galoppo added a fourth goal to wrap up all three points in style at the Estadio Juan Domingo Peron in Cordoba.
Lencina was one of River’s standout players, keeping the opposition defence on their toes as he scored his first two goals in the Argentine top flight.
“It was a dream day. Since I was a kid, you always dream of this moment … I’ll never forget it,” Lencina told ESPN.
“I always started playing on the left. Last time (River manager Marcelo Gallardo) put me on the right. Wherever I play, I’m going to try to give my best. I scored my first goal on the left. I’m very happy.”
Despite the dominant scoreline, Gallardo said it was not smooth sailing at the start of the game. River went on to dominate possession and had seven shots on target, three more than Instituto.
“Instituto positioned themselves firmly in midfield and tried to put us under pressure on the inside. We struggled to settle into the game for those first 15 minutes, until we started to find ourselves,” Gallardo told reporters.
“There were some good things after that and at the end came the goals, which gave us peace of mind. Then, in the second half, we were better with the ball. We ended up having a good game overall.”
River will host San Lorenzo next Sunday at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, while Instituto take a trip to Velez Sarsfield next Saturday.
