Argentina Comment: Rolling Back The Years With Buenos Aires' Elder Statesmen

For anyone growing impatient for Veteran's Day the latest instalment of Argentina's Superclasico threw up the perfect opportunity to marvel at a select band of warhorses who earned their scars of the battle fields of Europe.

The 1-1 draw does little for River Plate or Boca Juniors and their poor Apertura seasons but the fixture did give a few old heads the chance to show that they still have a little left in the tank. It would be fair to say that Marcelo Gallardo, who gave River a first half lead and Martin Palermo, who equalised for Boca midway through the second half are getting on a bit.

Advancing years did not stop the players, both in their mid thirties, having a telling say on this crunch fixture however. Gallardo is fondly remembered at Monaco where he scooped domestic honours and was named Ligue 1 Footballer of the Year in 2000. The River captain rolled back the years as he lined up a free kick 25-yards out from Boca goal.

El Muneco whipped his strike over the wall and left Roberto Abbondanzieri grasping at fresh air as the ball slipped inside the keeper´s right hand post. The goal gave River the perfect platform to build on a near faultless first half performance and search out what would have been only their second victory of the season.

This dream was undone in the second half by Boca's all time record goal scorer Palermo. El Titan has made a habit of scoring goals against River throughout his career and he added another to his tally in the 65th minute of the match, smashing home a low drive from just inside the box.

Palermo was teed up for his goal by a piece of vision which could only be carried off by one footballer in the world, Juan Roman Riquelme. A ball was drilled into the River box and Riquelme simultaneously took the fizz out of the pass and back heeled it onto a sixpence for Palermo to hit.
Riquelme's move back home is the Argentine league's gain and Europe's loss.

Watching this player produce sublime moments every week is an absolute privilege for any football fan. At 31-years-old the former Villarreal man still has a few years in him and surely his self imposed exile from the international scene can only serve to extend his time at Boca.

As for his Boca's goal scorer, Palermo has already been promised a seat on the plane to South Africa by Diego Maradona following his previous heroics at El Monumental. At the other end Abbondanzieri may have had no answer for Gallardo's free kick but five minutes before conceding the Boca keeper did have a moment to savour.

A lofted through ball from Ariel Ortega was met on the edge of the Boca area by Diego Buonanotte who was duly brought down by Fabian Monzon. There was more than a little suspicion of handball from Buonanotte before the defender made contact but referee Saul Laverni nonetheless pointed to the spot. Up stepped the recently rejuvenated Ortega only to see he well placed penalty palmed away by Boca's 37-year-old custodian.

The missed spot kick was a personal shame for Ortega but the onetime Sampdoria star can reflect back on a performance full of trademark trickery and crisp passing. The playmaker also contributed to the game´s second sending off when a spot of gamesmanship led to Julio Cesar Caceres of Boca receiving his marching orders from Laverni. Ortega overreacted to a spot of handbags down by the touchline and parity was restored, Cristian Villagra had been dismissed for River five minutes before.

That the 35-year-old Ortega is on the pitch at all after his reported battles with alcoholism is a massive achievement in itself. Ortega took the captain's armband from Gallardo when the goal scorer was substituted. El Burrito only skippered the team for 15 minutes before being withdrawn and handing the duties over to Matias Almeyda.

Almeyda, another grand old battler at 35-years-old, threw himself into every tackle in the middle of the park as if it was his last ever game of football. The former Serie A Footballer of the Year found a more than worthy opponent in the trenches in Boca´s Sebastian Battaglia.

Battaglia is the next generation of legend at Boca having already made over 200 appearances for the club. That Battaglia at 28-years-old is a relative youngster in Boca's current set up highlights an increasing trend at Argentina´s two traditional footballing superpowers.

The average age of Boca Juniors' starting XI for the Superclasico was 29-years-old. The figure is bumped up by an imbalance between the aging heads in the team who have returned after spells in Europe and the youngsters who are waiting for their shot at the Champions League.

For both Buenos Aires outfits to be successful on and off the pitch they have to rediscover the production lines which made the clubs famous all over the world.

Tim Sturtridge, Goal.com