It seems a year in the second division wasn’t such a bad thing for River Plate, who will finish either second or third in the Torneo Final, and third overall when combining the two championships this season. While the 5-1 loss to Lanus doesn’t make it such a sweet ending, at least Leonel Vangioni managed to score the goal of the season in the Argentina Primera División for 2012-2013.

The talented left winger , who also holds an Italian nationality, which might smooth over any future transfer to Europe, (although at 26, that day might never come) scored the only goal for River in a match that could have given them some hope for the final day of the season, but things quickly fell apart after his 7th minute equalizer.

Lanus will finish second unless something surprising happens on the final two matches they still have to play, while Newell’s will secure their first Torneo title since the 2004 Apertura, also earning them a place in the Super Champions match against Velez. Vangioni? It was his second goal in a very good season for River, hoping that the problems of the past are behind them, and a new era of competing for titles in both the South American competitions and in Argentina has begun.

Vangioni actually played for Newell’s from 2006 to 2012, beginning his River Plate career just before the 2013 Torneo Final.