(Reuters) -River Plate's struggles deepened on Sunday as they fell 1–0 to Sarmiento at a rain‑soaked Estadio Monumental, extending their league woes to four consecutive defeats in the Argentine Torneo Clausura.
River, who have won just one of their last seven matches across all competitions, sit fifth in Group B with 18 points, five behind leaders Deportivo Riestra, who have a game in hand. Sarmiento moved into eighth and the playoff spots with 15 points.
The hosts pressed from the start and came close to scoring but Sarmiento took an unexpected lead on the half-hour mark when Ivan Morales pounced on a Franco Armani error, the goalkeeper spilling the ball for the striker to slip it between his legs and in.
"The pitch was wet and, as a striker, I went for the rebound in case the goalkeeper dropped it, and in the end we got it," Chilean striker Morales told TNT Sports.
"They are very strong players, Argentine football is very tough, you have to give it your all. Winning here, we all know how good River are, so we're happy with the win."
River came close to an equaliser just before halftime, but Sarmiento goalkeeper Lucas Acosta produced a pair of brilliant saves to deny efforts from Fabricio Bustos and Giuliano Galoppo.
River dominated possession after the break but struggled to break down Sarmiento's well-organised defence. Despite constantly reaching the area, the hosts failed to execute clear chances, drawing murmurs of frustration from the stands.
While Sarmiento threatened on the counter, River's Paulo Diaz nearly levelled the score with a powerful long-range strike, but the ball clattered off the crossbar with less than 20 minutes remaining.
In a dramatic finish, substitute Miguel Borja appeared to have scored a stoppage-time equaliser, only for VAR to intervene and rule the close-range finish offside four minutes into added time, sealing Sarmiento's shock win.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Michael Perry)
