Bielsa’s flag, the gesture of the English goalkeeper and the South American brotherhood: chronicle of the match that turned La Plata into Uruguay

Argentina and Uruguay were a single country on Fatherland Day. On a new anniversary of the May Revolution, the sister nations embraced with a match valid for the second date of Group E of the Sub 20 World Cup that faced the Celeste against England. The rainy weather did not prevent the public from crowding at the entrances to the stadium Unique Diego Armando Maradona de La Plata, where the fourth match with the highest attendance was recorded so far in the contest with 27,231 spectators (behind the two that Argentina played and the one from Italy-Brazil).

From early on the stands were dyed light blue and white (especially light blue) with South American fans who joined forces to support the team led by Marcelo Broli and also counteract the British, who will not have expected the hostile climate. And it is that in their first participation against Tunisia the English team had taken the field on the same stage but with less than 3,000 fans in the stands. This afternoon everything changed.

Those who arrived after the hour had to hurry up the only entrance ramp because the controls were overcrowded and the drizzle became increasingly intense. In the background, the classic Argentine cry began to be heard in reference to the rivalry with the Europeans: “And you see it, and you see it, the one who doesn’t jump is an Englishman”. Of course, the Uruguayans who traveled from their country, plus those who live in Argentina, joined in the song. There were fans of Peñarol and Nacional united by their flag. The light blue and white with the sun prevailed in all the stands.

Some English substitutes who walked behind one of the goals watched incredulously at the tide of insults that the Argentines threw at their faces, leaning on the railing next to the playing field. From that moment and when the headlines stuck their heads out of the tunnel, the British delegation understood that they would play more away than ever in the competition. And it is that they just had to face a sister country of Argentina on May 25!

Not only the circumstances of the youth tournament made the Argentines and Uruguayans embrace each other and make strength for the Uruguayan team that had a great game but fell 3-2 with the European champion, but also the recent appointment of Marcelo Bielsa as DT de la Mayor brought some bielsistas to the stadium.

A couple of Argentines were seen with a flag that alluded to the Crazy with the phrase “A man with new ideas is a madman until his ideas succeed.” The motto copied from the North American writer Mark Twain inspired the soccer wave that the Rosario strategist displayed from his beginnings at Newell’s until he reached the Argentine team. “The elimination in Korea-Japan killed us. It was one of the worst mornings ever.”says one of them, still carrying the pain on his shoulders from that sad memory.

These two fans wore the cloth for the first time precisely in a match between Argentina and Uruguay played in 2004 for the South American Qualifiers on the way to Germany 2006, the day of José Pekerman’s debut in the Albiceleste. Bielsa had just resigned from the national team and they wanted to vindicate their task. After his time with the National Team, he was banked in Chile, Athletic Bilbao, Marseille, Lille and Leeds United.

“We support soccer, it seems to me that this is a bit of the message. Good football, aesthetics, beauty, having the ball”continues the devotee for the Loco. And when asked who they will support in the next Major League match between Argentina and Uruguay, he dribbles but does not throw it out: “Whether one or the other, if they treat the ball well, the result will be good. Let it be a 3-3 draw, with goals”.

The Uruguayan players insinuate, but the English defender Bashir Humphreys breaks the zero by means of a stopped ball. And although the South Americans prowled the opponent’s area on several occasions and generated the “uhhh” of the public present, Alfie Devine increases the advantage in stoppage time and sends the teams with two goals difference to the locker room.

This was the moment of the British goalkeeper Matthew Coxwhich endured the constant booing of all the fans located in the popular one behind him and was opened by the massive sale of stalls (with the game started the other header was opened and the Brentford goalkeeper had to continue tolerating insults in another language more than 45 minutes).

Cox shouted the goal with jumps and a clenched fist. He took a run and reddened his throat. Then he trotted back, facing the Argentine and Uruguayan fans who were making obscene gestures at him behind the fence he was defending. After the discharge of the 2-0, he mockingly greeted his contras, which exasperated them even more. Amidst rarefied weather, some British footballers chose to jog their way to the locker room after Mexican referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava whistled and brought the curtain down on the opening stage in the 50th minute.

Franco González’s early goal in the plugin gave the match a suspense not only because it was reviewed by VAR for an alleged advanced position but also because it opened the scoreboard. With their weapons, Uruguay began to bring down their rival, who likewise always maintained a share of danger in their offense and threatened to liquidate the lawsuit. He recently achieved his goal with a fabulous maneuver by Darko Gyabi, who left Randall Rodríguez without a chance and ran to celebrate with his people.

From one of the stalls, the South Americans grouped together to insult the English as if it were an agonizing goal in a senior world final. And there were several misfits who threw plastic bottles, which generated even greater disgust in a British delegation that probably never imagined being so mistreated during their second excursion through the Only one in La Plata.

Beyond some stupid and reprehensible aggression that deserves to be archived, This May 25, 2023 will be remembered in football as the day La Plata became a Uruguayan city.

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