BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Rosario Central's Santiago Lopez came off the bench to score in the 85th minute for a 2-2 draw against River Plate in their Argentine Primera Division Apertura tournament clash at the Estadio Monumental on Saturday.
The win moved Rosario into second place in Group B with 22 points, two behind leaders Independiente. River, unbeaten in their last five matches, were held to a second consecutive league draw and remain in third place with 20 points.
"I think we deserved to win. I think we had a lot of goal-scoring chances," River forward Franco Mastantuono told TNT Sports.
"At times the team played the kind of game we were looking for and we're very annoyed about the draw. We played a good game but we also made a lot of mistakes."
Rosario grabbed the lead just eight minutes in when Sebastian Ferreira netted with a towering header from a corner. River responded in similar fashion 10 minutes later, as Lucas Martinez Quarta nodded home a well-delivered Marcos Acuna free kick to equalise.
The hosts grew into the game but struggled to breach a solid Rosario backline, until teenage substitute Ian Subiabre scored his first senior goal with a scuffed volley into the far post just past the hour mark.
Rosario thought they had found the equaliser when Juan Cruz Komar fired in another header past goalkeeper Franco Armani, but the defender saw his 71st-minute effort disallowed for offside.
Yet Lopez, who had just come on, brought the visitors level five minutes from time with an easy finish following a great team move before Enzo Copetti incredibly missed the target to hand them the win in stoppage time.
"In the first few minutes we were able to score the goal and then it was a bit difficult because River is a top-level team and they make you sit back," the 19-year-old Lopez said.
"But we were able to equalise and we almost won it in the end. I thought Copetti would score but well, that's football. The draw helps us to stay up there in the standings, which is the important thing."
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
