Argentina's sporting press on Friday slammed soccer giant River Plate after Thursday's 0-0 draw with Liga Deportiva Universitario, a team from Ecuador's capital Quito.

"River... ever worse," said Diario Popular (People's Daily) adding that the team will find it hard to quality for the third round of the Libertadores Cup and that River, led by manager Daniel Passarella, had barely managed a draw at home.

River's fans jeered the team and called for the return of Ramon Diaz, the team's previous manager, who now trains San Lorenzo, which is top of the Argentine league.

Diario described the team's performance as "a failure... they contented themselves with the occasional counter-strike".

According to another daily Clarin, River has "football amnesia" and lacks a connected game, and even though it deserved to win the game, it wasted its chances.

"River's undeniable will did not take the team to victory. Thinking about the goal in front obsessively may bring them ideas. We have to ask the team to play football, instead of playing with their balls," Clarin said.

La Nacion agreed with other newspapers that River had barely achieved a draw, at its home Monumental Stadium, scene of a recent defeat by Venezuela team Caracas FC. The fans cheered with rage and impotence, it added.

Ole said the fans had exploded with fury at the team's players, manager and bosses, and that the result leaves the Copa Libertadores Group Six in suspense.

Source: Xinhua