What the pettiness of not rejoicing over a triumph of the ‘U’ in the South American means

Although he is only 29 years old, Maximiliano Comba, the Gimnasia winger who hit the post when the match against Universitario was tied goalless, is one of the oldest players for ‘Lobo’. The team is led by Sebastian ‘Chirola’ Romero, a 44-year-old former attacking midfielder who, after training for a couple of years in the lower ranks, took over as technical director of the squad after the departure of Néstor ‘Pipo’ Gorosito. The La Plata team is in 23rd place in the Argentine league, with just 8 units, 13 less than the leader River Plate.

These and other arguments were used by the fans of other teams to belittle the great victory obtained by the U last Wednesday for the Copa Sudamericana. Never had a Peruvian club beaten an Argentine on a visit in the history of that tournament. The victory, in addition, was the first obtained by the cream in Rio de la Plata courts after the victory over Racing for the Libertadores in 1967, 56 years ago.

56 years!

For a long time, those of us who are over 50 have repeated, filled with pride, that we saw Peru in three World Cups, Universitario fight for the Libertadores with only substitutes, Meléndez lift the Copa América in 1975, Cubillas score two goals against Scotland and that the 1981 team was the one that played best football in this country since some English sailors brought that sport in the 19th century.

Over the years those images began to become repetitive. And even strangers. From watching Cubillas’ free kick to Rough so much, it seemed that in the next repetition the Scottish goalkeeper would stretch his arm a little more and take the ball out. In one of those mental reversals, Cachito’s goals in the Bombonera were part of a science fiction drama and the remembered Freddy Ternero had never been a coach of the glorious Cienciano, but a prolific writer of self-help books, as successful as those manufactured by Paulo Coelho or Og Mandino.

With Gareca things changed. The black and white images, some of them already turning sepia, were made in color. We learned again what it was like to celebrate a triumph at home and on a visit. From outside they looked at us with different eyes. To talk about good Peruvian soccer, foreign commentators stopped referring to Chumpitaz, Uribe or Percy Rojas and began to mention Jefferson Farfán, Christian Cueva or the endless Paolo Guerrero. We returned to a World Cup after 36 years! However, the devotees of pettiness did not take long to show the stinking depths of their smallness: “We went to Russia for the table”, “We must thank Bolivia” or the classic “They gave us the classification.”

Despite Melgar’s campaign in the South American Cup last year, foreign clubs tend to smack their lips when they get a lucky Peruvian in any competition. They know our historic problems in the air, our dramatic inability to withstand the intensity with which we play in the elite and the emotional vulnerability that accompanies us at key moments (what here, with a certain modesty, we usually call “deconcentration”). ).

Universitario de Deportes is not to blame for the fact that the version of the Wolf he faced is not the same as, in that same scenario, but in 2003, he beat Alianza Lima 5-1 for the Copa Libertadores de América. Nor that it was not a club run by WhatsApp, as happened to the intimate three years ago when they lost to Estudiantes de Mérida in Venezuela.

What did we see last Wednesday? A Peruvian team that did not take refuge in its field, always looked at the rival goal, was intense when the process of the match required it and played without betraying the essence of the game that is played in these lands.

A club from Peru, made of one of the worst leagues on the continent, won again abroad in an official tournament. That should always be good news.

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