With a diplomatic hug and an exchange of friendly smiles, Jorge Fossati and Ricardo Gareca They finally met in what seemed to be one of the great attractions of the night and an after-dinner topic for after the game. As if it were the star number, the spotlights and emotions erupted at full speed when the current coach of the peruvian team and the precursor of the brief heyday of the Blanquirroja saw each other and opted for a fraternal embrace. A few meters away, chewing his nails and looking out of the corner of his eye at the scene, was Christian Cueva, nervous as rarely before in what could have been his revival, but which ended up being a 95-minute wait.
With an amazing AT&T Stadium, imposing, although not completely full in the stands; Peru earned unconditional applause and support from the first time the team went out to warm up. A lot of folklore, encouragement and banners alluding to the enthusiasm for seeing a Blanquirroja more determined than ever. Many security agents also in a scenario in which Peruvians were more present than Chileans.
Although Chile seemed the favorite to win the game, it was the Peruvians who – with their hubbub and effervescence – won the first duel of the day: the one on the stands. The victory from the stands came with the singing of the anthems. Brutal, exciting. Too much of what the faithful fans transmitted in each stanza. The white-red feeling on the surface.
But the best would come later. When Fossati and Gareca finally met. Morbidity made some comment from both of them imminent. Maybe a simple compliment, maybe a discreet “nice to meet you.” Two football men, veterans of a thousand battles, but with a common affection in the middle: the Peruvian team. The meeting was brief and then no more words were exchanged until the obligatory final greeting once the 0-0 score had been reached.
Then each one to his own.
Fossati was thoughtful, very focused on the game, but expressive when an error stood out to him or a success struck him as funny. He lived it in large part by holding his hand on his rosary, squeezing it in every difficult moment. With little travel in the allowed area, he left a greeting from time to time to the stands to correspond to the incessant encouragement of the fan.
Wilder Cartagena on the match against Chile: “We wanted to win, but 0-0 is not bad”
On the other side was a more restless Gareca. Progressively more obfuscated and intense, very talkative, giving instructions and making signs mainly in his midfield. Frustrated at times, for not being able to enter the court and solve himself what his players could not. It was a slate duel with two very marked and opposite styles. On the one hand, patience and calm; while on the other was the momentum.
In the run-up, appreciation and a lot of respect were declared, after the meeting and during the brief greeting, the words were repeated. Of course, a no small detail was Fossati’s right arm on the ‘Tigre’s’ shoulder, an action that according to those in the know implies a display of dominance.
Jorge Fossati and Ricardo Gareca greeted each other before Peru vs. Chili. Source: DSports
Farther away, a few meters away, already settled in one of the seats on the substitute bench, was Christian Cueva. Gave away minutes before by the television camera breathing as if he were in labor. Surely nervous about a possible revival or anxious to put his physique to the test.
The possibility of playing a few minutes and thus breaking a Guinness Record of months of stops needed to play a top-level match at once, surely had him tense. He tried to gauge the temperature of the fan’s mood when he came out to warm up, but the chants and applause had no room for him.
In the applause the most notable were Paolo Guerrero and Oliver Sonne, both with minutes in the second half. Meanwhile, Cueva was quiet on the bench. He almost never stopped, although he was more effusive and spirited in the last minutes, when Peru already appeared as a serious candidate for victory.
Peruvian national team players greeted Ricardo Gareca after a draw against Chile. Source: Camila Zapata.
The incident with Gareca
After the game, some players from the Peruvian team came to greet coach Ricardo Gareca. But it was already inside the tunnel that something out of the ordinary happened. Aldo Corzo and Sergio Peña met ‘Tigre’ and exchanged less friendly words, in a more serious tone. They seemed to be arguing, although we don’t have the exact words so it’s impossible to say for sure.
Of course, one phrase was clearly heard: “This has nothing to do with you.” What was the reason for what appears to be a disagreement? What exactly were said? We don’t know, what we were able to gather is that in the end it didn’t go any further and was resolved calmly.
A no small detail: Gareca was booed when he went out onto the field prior to the match. For the most part, it was Peruvian fans who made him aware of his discontent. Perhaps because of the feeling of betrayal that comes with having become the coach of the team that most rivals the Bicolor. There was some disappointment and resentment in those chants against the ‘Tiger’, who knows and deep down, it was a natural effort to decide to finally forget who for seven years made us believe that we can.
