Yael Falcón Pérez has been assigned to referee the River Plate - Belgrano final in Córdoba, a one-off Apertura Tournament decider set for the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium and its 57,000 seats. The match brings together two sides that already know each other well, and both arrive with a recent playoff path that has turned a league run into a single-night title chance.
River reached the final after finishing second in Group B with 29 points, then surviving a penalty shootout against San Lorenzo after a 2-2 draw in extra time, beating Gimnasia de La Plata 2-0 and edging Rosario Central 1-0 on a Facundo Colidio penalty. Belgrano came through a tougher climb on paper, finishing fifth in Zone B before eliminating Talleres 1-0, defeating Unión 2-0 and advancing past Argentinos Juniors on penalties after a stoppage-time equalizer in the semifinal.
That route sets up a final built as much on familiarity as on form. River and Belgrano have already played 44 official first-division matches, and their most recent meeting came on April 5 in Matchday 13 of the regular season, when River won 3-0. Tomás Galván scored twice that day and Colidio added the third, leaving Belgrano with a reminder of how quickly River can impose itself when the match opens up.
The teams also met in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Copa de la Liga, when River won 2-1. Salomón Rondón and Colidio scored for River, while Lucas Passerini pulled one back for Belgrano. Falcón Pérez was in charge of the earlier regular-season meeting as well, giving the final another layer of continuity for a fixture that has already been handled twice this year by the same referee.
River’s path has also been steadier in the broader run-up to the final. The club had gone five matches unbeaten across domestic and international competitions, a stretch that reflected resilience as much as control. Belgrano, meanwhile, arrived on a four-game unbeaten streak after a late setback at the end of the regular season, a run that helped erase some of the damage from that closing stumble and carried the team into the decider with belief intact.
The weight of the matchup is hard to miss. River has been in this position through a mix of control and survival, and Belgrano has made its way here by surviving tight knockout moments. On a neutral stage in Córdoba, the one-off format leaves no room for recovery, and the final will be decided by whichever side can turn its recent habits into one clean performance when the whistle goes.
