Twelve years of “it’s lightning” and the “boiler”: the story of ‘Zorrito’ Aguirre and company after beating Estudiantes 4-1

Correction: This note was originally published in 2020

My heart races just remembering that night. It makes you want to go any Thursday, like that time, and perform the same movements. Look for the same door, go to the same place and sit down to feel what happened on that Copa Libertadores day again. The summer of 2010 had its dream night painted white and blue and Matute was the stage where history separated one of its chapters to Lima Alliance. Motivated team -they came from beating Bolívar in La Paz-, growing figures and a large fan present was the perfect combination for the intimates to inflate their chests for one of the most remembered victories of Peruvian soccer in recent years. Twelve years of that.

Students of La Plata arrived. The champion of America arrived in Lima and his trip to Lima was an omen of how bad they would have a time. Her plane had to make an emergency landing in Tacna to refuel. “We have studied them,” said coach Alejandro Sabella about Alianza, but his notes did not serve what he experienced on February 18, 2010 in Matute.

The ‘Pincharratas’ had just played the Club World Cup final against Barcelona, ​​who beat them in extra time, and on the first date of the Cup they had thrashed Aurich 5-1. They were planted in the field of La Victoria with figures such as Sebastián Verón, Clemente Rodríguez and the scorer Mauro Boselli.

It was 4-1 and the runs of Wilmer Aguirre, the group of José Carlos Fernández, the gestures of Gustavo Costas and, above all, the songs of all the fans are tattooed in the minds of those who came to the Victorian venue.

It was the night of the ‘Zorrito’, without a doubt. ‘Hat-trick’ with which the intimates traced the initial goal of the Argentines after an error by Vidal Sosa just after 7 seconds. Three deadly runs and many others of great danger. José Carlos closed the scoring, for whom this tournament had many more celebrations in store.

‘Fox’ what are you doing?

That seemed to be wondering all of South America. Wilmer Aguirre’s performance surprised the continent. Three goals based on speed and power. With the right, with the left. Leaving Cellay stretched out or ‘breaking’ Desábato’s waist. And as the cherry on the cake, assistance to José Carlos for the fourth goal.

Three goals, the only ones he scored in that Copa Libertadores, but enough to arouse the interest of foreign clubs. In the middle of the year he left for San Luis in Mexico, in what was his second departure from the country, after playing in Metz in France between 2006 and 2008.

But if the Aguirre-goals relationship was all love that first semester, that of the scorer with the press was the opposite. The day after his hat trick, all the journalists were waiting to get a few words out of him in the Matute parking lot, and what they received was an insult. “Now they cry with…”, he said and got into his car. With his goals he had already said everything.

Twelve years have passed and Aguirre is in the club of his loves. Even last year he scored a goal against Alianza Atlético that reminded one of those goals he scored against Estudiantes. “Something like that, because of the previous fight for the ball”, accepted the cameras of Gol Peru. He celebrated the 2021 title and today he is fighting to continue leaving his mark on the Blue and Whites.

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Many protagonists had Alliance. Salomón Libman and his providential saves, like the one in minute 30. Prado and his climbs, so much so that he even almost scored with a shot from outside. Carlos Solís, Édgar Villamarín, Jean Tragodara and Joel Sánchez, the latter two playing as wingers, a new position for them but which they fully complied with. Alexander Sánchez, who entered and participated in the last two goals. Below is what four other players who played that match experienced at that time.

The defender who gave away the first

The glorious night of Alianza Lima began very dark for Alianza. Just after minute one of the game, Estudiantes opened the scoring. The designated: Héctor Vidal Sosa. The Paraguayan defender arrived as a reinforcement for that season and barely lasted six months at the club.

“It was a historic match because we had the accident of the goal just seconds away. I took responsibility for that goal and I regret the mistake. Afterwards, the comeback that was made was historic”, recalled the defender in 2019 in an interview for the newspaper “Líbero”.

In the round of 16, against Chile’s ‘U’ in Santiago, he was expelled. “It was a robbery”, he assured about that 2-2 that eliminated the Blue and Whites. Due to the quota of foreigners -there were Ovelar, González, Velázquez, Montaño and Fleitas- and due to the club’s financial problems, Sosa had to leave the team in June. Two years later he returned to Peru to play for Unión Comercio, where he completed two seasons, qualifying for the Copa Sudamericana.

The ‘Black’, quite a pattern

The Guarani claw was infected with the blue and white heart and Édgar Gonzáles earned all the affection of the blue and white fans. He was the boss in midfield thanks to his good positioning to play. He was in Alianza from 2009 to 2012.

Despite the fact that he missed the first penalty in the definition of the title against Juan Aurich, the fans respect him. ‘El Negro’ returns to the country from time to time and has been seen in Matute supporting the team. So much is the affection that Gonzáles has for Alianza that he has brought his son, who accompanied him at press conferences, to see the intimates.

“My son [Ezequiel] He has the illusion of playing in Alianza. I went with him to Matute and he told me he wanted to play in that stadium. I was very full of expectations. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to have arrived in a beautiful country, ”he said last year in an interview with Sports Menu of UCI Sports.

He assures that the Alianza player should never lower his head because that result against Estudiantes is the clearest example. “The Alianza player never has to shrink in any adversity. We had a clear example when we were losing to Estudiantes. If we put our heads to the ground, we lost 6 or 7 nil”, he said.

The ‘Duck’, the best foot

Until today you can see Henry Quinteros in the stands to encourage Alianza. The ‘Pato’ was the driver of that team and despite the fact that he came to play in Sporting Cristal, he is one of the icons of the intimate team in the present century. Author of one of the most beautiful goals, in the classic against Universitario, that night in Matute against Estudiantes he was the brain that Alianza needed.

Few know that his nickname is Henry Potter, for the magic he performed on minors. He came to the club at the age of 12. At almost 20 years old, he made the 1997 preseason under the command of Jorge Luis Pinto, but could not play in that championship that won the title after 18 years. Quinteros remained there for eleven years in the first team in two stages.

“We will make history by beating the almost world champion,” the midfielder predicted a day before the match in statements to the Alianza Lima website. Estudiantes had just won the 2009 Libertadores and played in the Club World Cup final against Barcelona, ​​who beat them in extra time.

After passing through Russia (Rubin Kazan), Cristal and Lech Poznan from Poland, where he stayed for three years, he returned to Alianza in 2008 to save the category that year.

He was the driver that night of 4-1. He gave the pass to Aguirre for the equalizer and was replaced in the 76th minute by Juan Jayo, when Alianza was leading 3-1.

Zlatan, the euphoric goal

José Carlos is one of the players that photographers enjoy. His euphoria to celebrate the goals has made his photos one of the best. Despite this, there is a goal that he did not celebrate. He is such a fan of Alianza that in 2013 he marked him with the Crystal Reserve and did not celebrate it.

‘Zlatan’, as he is known locally, had a great goal annulled – goalkeeper Orión’s little hat – in the first half, but he got his revenge and scored the fourth goal of that thrashing against Estudiantes. A center from ‘Zorrito’ Aguirre that anticipates Clemente Rodríguez in the area to sentence the match. “No team is going to come and paint our faces,” he assured in the preview. So it was. “We want to change the history of Alianza,” he said after the game, and he was on his way until the arbitration of the Ecuadorian Vera crossed in that elimination against the ‘U’ of Chile.

In that Cup, José Carlos finished as the second scorer of the tournament with 7 goals. He scored against Bolívar (3), Estudiantes (1), Aurich (1) and ‘U’ from Chile (2). Currently, ‘Zlatan’ plays for Carlos A. Mannucci, a club in his hometown of Trujillo.