Cuzco vs. Lima Part II

The futbol game started and within the first 5 minutes, three players were badly injured. One of the players on the Lima team had to be taken away on a stretcher and police barricaded him so that he could get into the ambulance. While he was getting into the ambulance, the tv cameras were in his face, people were throwing stuff and screaming obscenities. We felt so bad for the guy, people try to avoid going to the hospital (especially the ones around here) so it must have been pretty bad for him to go. Throughout the rest of the game there were many more injuries. Roughly 6 players suffered bad headbutts while they tried to hit the ball with their heads. At least 5 players suffered kicks to the you know what.

With about 5 minutes to go in the first period Cuzco was given a corner kick. A corner kick is exciting because one player gets a free kick from a corner near the goal and all of his teammates line up near the goal with the hope of heading or kicking the ball in. This corner kick happened right in front of our seats. The ball floated toward the goal and all of the players jumped up for their chance to make contact. The ball bounced off of a Cuzco head and shot like a dart into the upper right corner of the goal. The goalie was left laying on the ground and the crowd jumped to their feet to cheer.

To witness a goal in a championship futbol game in South America is unlike any goal, touchdown or basket in a US game. People were not only cheering, they were outright exploding with happiness. At the far end of the stadium, the fans quickly cleared a section of the stands and then a loud explosion could be heard. They had set off what sounded like a quarter stick of dynamite. After the blast a puff of smoke started to rise and then the raging fans filed back into the opening to do a victory dance. Red smoke bombs filled the air and entire rolls of toilet paper were hurled onto the field. When it calmed down we saw riot police covered in toilet paper and confetti.

Halftime started rather abruptly. The players just ran off the field and all of the fans quickly ran for the food vendors and the bathrooms. We figured this would be a good time to get some snacks and water. Michelle decided to make the trip and leave Rich to guard the seats. Halftime at a futbol game is not like halftime at a Knicks game. For starters, there are rules of conduct at a Knicks game. You do not push or trample other people. You also do not use the ladies bathroom if you are a guy. Both of these rules are completely disregarded at a futbol game. Michelle was shoved around and pushed into a frenzy as she tried to make her way to the bathroom. It was as if there was absolutely no regard for personal space. Men and women were all pushing her. She tried to get some food but gave up. In the end she just wanted to safely return to her seat. When she reached the walkway back to our seats the was a row of people 4 deep standing between her and the stairway. They would not let her in. She finally pushed her way through and thankfully sat back down in her seat. We quickly made a group decision that we would be leaving the game early.

The second period was just as exciting and injury filled as the first. Men were left rolling on the field in agony, holding their shins and there were many close shots on goal. Lima scored a goal but had it taken back. Then Cuzco scored a goal and as the crowd raged and set off fireworks, we decided to sneak out of the stadium. We really wanted to avoid the fights, stampedes and confusion at the actual end of the game. Peru does not have a good track record at sporting events. In 1964, in a game in Lima, the worst sports disaster ever happened. 300 people were killed in a stampede.

We walked down a set of stairs toward a metal door being guarded by police. As the police tried to open the door, a crowd of children pushed their way in. We had to run backwords to avoid the rush of the crowd. The police could do nothing, there were just too many people. So we ran back up the steps with the crowd of people. Then we took a right turn and squeazed through some more people and then headed back down another set of stairs. At the next exit there were police on horses and the riot police were out as well. Nobody was getting in past them. We finally tasted freedom! When the dust had settled, we both looked at each other and were just thankful that we had experienced our first South American futbol game and SURVIVED!