River's summer is over: a draw against Universitario in the Libertadores in the last match before the Club World Cup.

The "summer" that River Plate enjoyed between mid-April and May appears to be over . The elimination against Platense in the Apertura Tournament was followed by a weak performance against Universitario of Peru on a wintry night in Núñez. At the Monumental Stadium, they barely drew 1-1 with the Peruvian team , who celebrated it as a victory because they had advanced to the round of 16. And while Marcelo Gallardo 's team had already qualified and was in first place, they left a lackluster image ahead of the Club World Cup , in which they will debut in less than three weeks. They also missed out on the chance to finish second among the top teams behind Palmeiras, which could give them home advantage in the second leg of the decisive round.

River Plate slipped back in the game once again . And when it looked like it needed a quiet night, it sabotaged itself again . It had a few minutes in which it let its guard down and made defensive errors that it paid dearly for. In a week, it was back to the team it was in the first months of the year, when Peru struggled to string together its game and even more so to find scoring chances. This Wednesday, that situation was more noticeable in the second half, when the red-banded team didn't know how to overcome a Universitario side that blocked its paths, remained compact, and hunkered down well at the back, without suffering any difficulties.

River had the ball and went for it, but they didn't do so clearly . There were even moments when they got the ball out of their grasp with long passes that were easily returned by Riveros, Universitario's libero, who did everything he could. And they erred in not going for Franco Mastantuono more, as they had done in the first half.

Once again, as has happened in several matches in recent months, River Plate relied heavily on Mastantuono . The kid from Azul led the way in the opening minutes and put on a show for much of the first half, with all the magic that comes from his left foot. As if to prove he deserves the call-up to the national team. He created play, triangulated, and delivered through balls, both low and high, always with the intention of finding a space between so many opposing legs. Thus, he left Sebastián Driussi one-on-one with the Universitario goalkeeper, but "Gordo"'s shot just missed. He also dared to try on other occasions but couldn't find the finish.

River played heavily on the right flank, where Mastantuono played, and Bustos tried to pass through there. Nacho Fernández looked to create a triangular play, and Driussi turned to pivot. But Muñeco's team lacked the lucidity to break through the Peruvian lock . Thus, the scoring chances came in dribs and drabs. In fact, the opening goal came from a cross from Marcos Acuña that found 'Nacho' alone at the far post, and after the experienced midfielder's shot and a rebound from goalkeeper Britos, Colidio put it away . Nacho's positioning raised doubts for the VAR team, but after reviewing it, they ratified the goal.

River was supposed to find some peace of mind with the lead, but Gallardo's team again made things difficult for themselves. If there was one thing they weren't supposed to do, it was commit fouls near their own area, because Universitario seemed to have no way of getting to Franco Armani beyond a passing ball that found Valera alone and he finished over the bar. But Pezzella committed a pointless foul , and Uruguayan Jorge Fossati 's team capitalized. They didn't pass the ball into the box, but instead passed it to Jairo Concha , who, completely alone and on his 26th birthday, unleashed a shot that rattled Armani just before the end of the first half.

In the second half, Gallardo brought on Lanzini for a tired Nacho Fernández. But River couldn't find any traction with either player in the midfield . Manu came on lightly, and then Miguel Borja came on, but the ball barely reached him. By that point, Muñeco's team was disoriented. They even left many gaps in the back, which their opponents almost exploited. The minutes ticked by, and Britos barely made a move, unlike in the first half. The game ended, and River bid farewell to the Monumental with indifference , while the Universitario players celebrated a historic qualification.