Since this blog has been dry on posts lately, I thought I’d take this opportunity to inform the North Americans of something that happened last night in BsAs. I know that most of you are indifferent when it comes to this issue—and some are Gimnasia supporters (Ignacio)—but this may spark some interest.
Estudiantes, who are now participating in the Copa Libertadores for the first time since the 1980s, won a historical game last night. The stars were aligned just right. Not only did they win historically, but I was watching for only the second time from the States. They rarely play their games on TV, but this time they were playing in an important international tournament due to recent success in the Argentine league.
The first half was horrendous. I was extremely disappointed. They quickly went down 0-3 to Sporting Cristal from Peru. But the second half they came to life and scored 4 goals, the winning goal coming in the 89th minute of the game. Amazing. This type of game just doesn’t happen in professional soccer. The station did a great job of covering the celebration in the stadium. It’s worth noting that at the start of the second half, down 0-3, the fans in the stadium were overwhelmingly optimistic and enthusiastic. They were more boisterous than at the start of the game. And after Estudiantes scored 2 goals, they were louder than any fans I’ve ever heard. Nobody left the stadium at the end of the first half (it is my belief that in the States half of the crowd would have left at half time to avoid traffic).
Anyway, I encourage you all to follow this team. They’re in first place in Argentina right now and are likely to make it out of the first round of the Copa Libertadores (recall that they won this tournament three times in the early 70s but not since). A small club, they seem to be defying the current global landscape in sports that reflects the gross financial inequities in this world. You all should get behind them. Here are some interesting sites to keep track:
TyC Sports
ESPN Argentina
