Buenos Aires, Feb. 26 (NA) -- The Monumental Stadium presented a powerful image at the farewell of Marcelo Gallardo's second cycle as River Plate's coach. Before the match against Banfield, fans gave a standing ovation to the club's most winning coach in history, while simultaneously expressing strong discontent with the team through whistles and insults. Before kickoff, the crowd began to voice their opinions during the warm-up with chants directed at the players, demanding attitude and commitment amid the team's poor sporting present. The atmosphere intensified when the stadium's announcer revealed the lineup: with the exception of the youth players, most of the footballers were booed, with Maximiliano Salas being the main target, as reported by the Argentine News Agency. With the teams on the field and under the referee of Hernán Mastrángelo, the critical chants towards the squad continued. In contrast, Gallardo received constant applause to the chant of 'Muñeco, Muñeco,' which was repeated again after Lucas Martínez Quarta's goal. The Monumental thus made a clear distinction between the coach and the players, also silencing the classic 'Players, the mother of...'.
