Riot shields escort red-carded Montiel off pitch as 9-man River Plate fall to Boca in Superclasico

Gonzalo Montiel needed a security escort with riot shields to leave the pitch after being sent off in a chaotic Superclasico, as Boca Juniors defeated River Plate 1-0 at La Bombonera in Argentina’s Primera Division.

The match was defined by flash-points from the opening minutes. River Plate’s Lucas Martinez Quarta was dismissed with a straight red card just 10 minutes in for yanking the shirt of Boca striker Miguel Merentiel, leaving the visitors a man down for the remainder of the contest. Lautaro Di Lollo then broke the deadlock to put Boca ahead.

With River Plate already reduced to ten men, Montiel compounded their misery in the 79th minute by throwing himself into a reckless late challenge on Lautaro Blanco, earning a second straight red card of the game and leaving River Plate with nine players on the field.

Rather than leaving quietly, Montiel taunted the home crowd as he made his way around the perimeter of the pitch — pointing to himself, the River Plate badge on his shirt, and making a spinning motion with his index finger, widely interpreted as a reference to the two Copa Libertadores finals River Plate won against Boca in 2018. He departed grinning at the baying supporters, whose response was to launch projectiles from the stands.

Two security staff in full riot gear quickly moved in to guide Montiel to safety, their shields needed repeatedly to deflect thrown objects including beer cans.

Referee Nicolas Ramirez drew criticism for the consistency of his decisions throughout the match. Blanco, who was fouled by Montiel for the red card, had earlier received only a yellow card for a comparable challenge on Tobias Andrada. Nicolas Paredes also escaped a second booking, and Di Lollo was not penalised for a shirt pull on Nicolas Otamendi inside the penalty area — an incident strikingly similar to the one that had seen Martinez Quarta dismissed in the first half.