Argentine football giant River Plate suffered a shocking 4-2 defeat on penalties to Platense on Tuesday night. The result set up the 2025 Torneo Apertura semi finals, set to be played next weekend.

It was a torrid time for River at its Monumental stadium home. With Superclásico rivals Boca Juniors and 2024 Copa Sudamericana winners Racing Club out of the picture, Marcelo Gallardo’s team was the leading candidate to take the title.

The Millonario, however, struggled to break its rival. Platense defended deep and allowed an imprecise River most of the time on the ball, waiting for their chance. That opportunity came 28 minutes into the game, as striker Ronaldo Martínez recovered a misplaced rejection by the River defense and set it up for winger Vicente Taborda to score 1-0.

Gallardo’s team struggles continued in the second half almost until the final minute.  It wasn’t until the 96th minute of added time when Miguel Borja was brought down inside the box and referee Yael Falcón Pérez gave a penalty. The decision was hotly contested by Platense’s defenders, as the play had started through a throw-in mistakenly given to River. Teenage  phenom Franco Mastantuono took the chance to tie the game, sending the affair to a penalty shootout.

River took an early lead as goalkeeper Franco Armani saved Juan Saborido’s shot, but a miss by Kevin Castaño equaled the score. Platense’s Juan Pablo Cozzani saved River’s Sebastián Driussi’s shot, setting up the stage for Ignacio Schor to make his shot and seal the win for Platense.

“I was angry because it would’ve been unfair,” said Cozzani after the game, lamenting the situation that ended in Mastantuono’s goal. “It was our throw-in, and game over. [Falcón Pérez] apologised afterwards to me. We had given it our all and we deserved to win on regular time.”

Gallardo admitted being disappointed in the result and what his team did on the pitch.

“We were unable to have our game flow as we had been doing, but we also have to recognize our rival’s work, who made merits so that we could not show what we had been doing as a team”, he said in the press conference after the game. “Rather than worried, I’m frustrated about not making it to the final, as it was our goal.”

Who’s playing in the 2025 Torneo Apertura semi finals?

Platense’s win over River lowered the curtain on the quarter finals to set up the semifinal draws.

Huracán beat Group B winners Rosario Central 1-0 last Sunday. They’ll go up against Independiente, who defeated Boca Juniors 1-0 at La Bombonera on Monday. The will play on Saturday May 24 at El Rojo’s Libertadores de América stadium at 6:30 p.m.

San Lorenzo, who beat Group A winners Argentinos Juniors on penalties last Sunday, will face off against Platense. That game will kick off at 4 p.m. at San Lorenzo’s Pedro Bidegain stadium on Sunday May 25.