River Plate fans cover entire stadium in incredible tifo before Boca Juniors match

Football fans tuning in to watch River Plate vs Boca Juniors were left open-jawed after watching the pre-match opening ceremony, which saw fans cover the stadium in an unbelievable tifo

Harry Brent Senior Sports Writer

22:55, 25 Feb 2024

River Plate fans went all out with their pre-match tifo ahead of the derby against Boca Juniors(Image: TNT Sports)

River Plate supporters covered their stadium in a mind-boggling tifo ahead of their crunch clash with arch-rivals Boca Juniors on Sunday.

In an extraordinary pre-match display, River's 84,000-capacity Mas Monumental stadium was decked out in hundreds of red and white ribbons that stretched from the rafters to the front row of seats. Then, as the players emerged from the tunnel, red and white smoke plumes shot up from the side of the pitch, layering the field in a thick, atmospheric fog.

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And as if that wasn't enough, the club shot a few fireworks into the air for good measure... you know... otherwise it would've been boring.

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Fans on social media were absolutely loving it, with one X user labelling the scenes "Full-blooded Argentinian football".

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"These are the sorts of pre-game displays you'd tell your kids about if they happened in Europe. In Argentina they see them every week," wrote another, while a third added: "Absolute scenes. Would slap my nan in the face to see this live."

Is going to a River vs Boca match on your football bucket list? Let us know in the comments section below.

Hundreds of red and white banners surrounded the stadium as the players entered the pitch

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Prior to the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, River Plate fans stormed a Boca Juniors fan club, bringing drums, flares and smoke cannisters along with them.

The Superclasico, as its known, is one of the fiercest football rivalries in the world. The two clubs are by far and away the most successful teams in Argentina and have been battling it out over the title for the best part of the last century. To make matters worse the clubs are neighbours, and fight for the right to be declared top dog in Buenos Aires every year.

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Smoke and fireworks were also let off as the players made their way onto the field

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Today's clash was in the Copa de la Liga Profesional, Argentina's equivalent of the League Cup. River Plate are currently top of the Argentine Primera Division, and are unbeaten after seven matches. Boca, meanwhile have won just two of their opening seven games.