From the cabal to the memories of a night for history

Montevideo, 24 Mar “You are cabal. You have to come.” The phrase was spoken a few days ago by the president of the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), Ignacio Alonso, as an invitation to the Vice President of the Republic, Beatriz Argimón, as she explained in the prolegomena of Uruguay-Peru held this Thursday. And, whether superstition or not, the truth is that Celeste fulfilled its part of the pact, beating Peru - not without final controversy for a play that could lead to the draw for Blanquirroja and that the VAR validated - in addition to celebrating Brazil's rout over Chile (4-0) from a distance, to sign its qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The day marked the most likely farewell of referents such as Diego Godín, Edinson Cavani or Luis Suárez from the national team in a qualifying round - it is almost certain that he farewell to Celeste after competing in Qatar - which added more epic to the Centennial night, which looked like on its best pre-pandemic nights. After the tickets sold out in 48 hours, tens of thousands of Uruguayans and some 2,500 Peruvians filled the stands of the old Montevideo Coliseum. However, among these there were some 60 Peruvian fans who remained outside the stadium and who, as they explained to Agencia EFE, were “ripped off” by the travel agency they hired. Some came directly from Peru, others from neighboring Argentina... all argued that they had paid an amount between 300 and 500 dollars and, however, had not obtained the ticket to access the interior of the sports venue. “We feel cheated,” a 27-year-old man acknowledged to Efe, who did not want to reveal his identity, although he did explain the reasons why he had followed his selection in several countries. “Peru goes through a period of 26-28 years of not going to the World Cup before the past (Russia 2018). My generation has not seen Peru in most of its childhood in a World Cup. Now we have the illusion, and that's why we came to see our team win,” he said. For her part, María Eugenia Rojas, another of the Peruvian fans who were there, said: “It's a long trip, it's an investment and we wanted to see the national team and we couldn't get in so we're really bad.” Despite the fact that they were at the gates of the 'World Football Monument' for the entire first half and despite their conversations with the police, they failed to pay off the four months of savings that, in some cases, they had used to travel. Not much happier were his compatriots who were able to join the party. Although Ricardo Gareca's team stood up to the locals, the only goal was Uruguayan, the work of Giorgian de Arrascaeta, since the VAR said no to a play in which the Peruvians asked for a goal. Almost at the end of the match, a shot by Peruvian Miguel Trauco was saved by Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet when, apparently, he had crossed the goal line. Both Peruvian players and fans talk about “robbery” after the controversial action that, however, did not stop the game and led to the Uruguayan celebration for World Cup qualification. Hugs and tears in the center of the court, players posing with their families for photographs as they went around the stadium... and three referents celebrating in their own way: Godín, kneeling after the effort; Suarez with a piece of net; and Cavani, keeping the ball, despite not having scored. The three of them, in addition to Fernando Muslera and Martín Cáceres, who did not see action tonight, could compete in their fourth World Cup, if their departure to Qatar takes place, thus equating Pedro Rocha as the Uruguayan with the most appearances in that competition. The stadium lights and fireworks culminated in the fans' celebrations of a night full of winks and that kept Uruguay in history. Alejandro Prieto and Jacinta R. Trobo