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Boca Juniors, River Plate 'friendly' results in 5 red cards

Marcos Brindicci / Reuters

Carlos Tevez took a central role in a tumultuous friendly match between Argentinian rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate on Saturday.

Leonardo Pisculichi's penalty on 17 minutes, awarded after Tevez handled in the area, was enough for a 1-0 win for visiting River Plate, but when the goalscorer was dismissed following a melee on 85 minutes, it marked the fifth red card brandished by referee Patricio Loustau.

Some friendly.

Boca debutant Jonathan Silva was the first to be given his marching orders on 10 minutes after a vicious lunge resulted in an injured ankle and early substitution for Gabriel Mercado.

By the 79th minute, Boca was playing with eight men against 11 after Gino Peruzzi was sent off for a foul and Daniel Diaz was banished to the dressing room for insulting the head official.

River Plate provided its own antagonists in the tie late on, when Pisculichi's red card followed a scuffle which began when Jonathan Maidana headbutted Tevez.

In last year's regular Primera Division season, table-topping Boca finished some 15 points better off than River Plate, who finished ninth. The pair will renew their rivalry as soon as next Saturday, when they complete their two-legged exhibition.

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