WE WUZ ROBEDD! (San Lorenzo 2 - ARG 1)
By: Scott | October 4th, 2007This post is way overdue. I have been lazy, time has passed, and this post is now old news. However, I doubt that anyone reading this post has been filled in on the finer points of this pivotal, pivotal match and those finer points are quite interesting and important.
If people remember from the previous post, our #1 and very impressive keeper, Nico Navarro, was suspended due to an unfortunate red card incident against Newell’s Old Boys. The replacement keeper, Juan Ignacio Carrera, was put to the test early, as Andrés Silvera breezed by his mark on a set piece and slammed the ball into the net. It was hard to see whose fault it was, but the entire setup was a disaster for Argentinos. The man, the myth, the lumbering monstrosity of hunchbackedness, Néstor Ortigoza, struck a penalty to tie the match up at the 15-minute mark and the match began a beautiful period where both teams worked the ball well and moved fluidly.
Little did we know that the match would turn on three key moments:
1. A minute before the first half was going to end, the same Silvera slid in with a studs up (hoes down!) tackle on our beloved Alvaro Pereira and received a red card. It was a blatant red card foul from our vantage point, but that did not prevent the San Lorenzo contingent (fans and players) from expressing their displeasure with the referee’s decision. Jeers and songs of derision rained down for the two minutes that Pereira laid on the field, the two minutes that Laverni took to walk off of the field, and for the two minutes that he stood on the field waiting for the second half to begin.
At this point, Argentinos Juniors, a smaller, less talented team visiting the most recent champions and holding them to a draw in the first half, had to have been thinking that by remaining within themselves and playing smart soccer, they could use this man advantage and shift in momentum to their advantage. Excepting any monumental fuckups, 1 point was the worst-case scenario at this point. I can see “Pipo” Gorosito laying that out pretty clear in the locker room: “Don’t fuck up.”
2. Well, it didn’t take long for Leandro Fleitas, a third-string central defender who was filling in for the slightly-injured and increasingly dependable Juan Sabia, to pick up his second yellow card and be escorted from the field. Yeah, he shouldn’t be seeing the field again any time soon. What is most troubling is that he did not get carded for a hard foul. He committed a foul and swore at the ref, Laverni. I would love to have had a microphone to see exactly what he said to drive Laverni to dole out a second yellow card to a player at that point. I would also love to know how much the reaction from the San Lorenzo crowd to the expulsion of Silvera was weghing on his mind (picture any number of “make-up calls” in the NBA). Regardless, the match was now even at 10 men on each side, with all of the momentum on San Lorenzo’s side.
3. A scant 5 or 6 minutes later, Andrés Scotti, a rock, one of the few dependable players available on the roster, completely blew a simple pass, granting an open breakaway. In the box, Carrera played the ball very well, but clipped the attacker’s legs slightly. Laverni (who knows what was going through his head) not only called a bad penalty, he ignored the fact that the linesman (who, perhaps it should be noted, had a better view) disagreed with the call.
Osmar Ferreyra netted the second goal and any semblance to the beautiful game slipped out the window. Ugly, desperate attempts by Argentinos to generate pressure were answered by dangerous situations on counterattack that missed by inches. 2 - 1 for San Lorenzo. Crown their asses.
The good? Nothing. I was sickened. Carrera filled in admirably. That was good, I guess. Oh yeah, Ortigoza picked up his fifth yellow, which meant a one game suspension, which should open up the attack…let’s see how that works out, eh?
The bad? Delorte resembled a primitive creature attempting escape from a tar pit, minus the visible tar. He was quite literally a standing statue to mediocrity. He could not be asked to move from one spot to the other, no matter how much the other players were depending on him. I hate it when he plays like that. He is a risk and a liability. Everybody else was, meh.
Category: Summary
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