Go Diego, Go!
Argentina kept it’s Schiavo-esque run to South Africa life supported up with a surreal win over CONMEBOL doormat Peru last night.
The Argies were clinging to a slim 1-0 lead after squandering a good dozen chances to bury the visiting Peruvians when the Buenos Aires skies opened up late in the second half. And that’s putting it mildly. Fans were only able to leave the Antonio Vespucio Liberti via ark.
The karmic doom awaiting Diego Maradona seemed imminent as the feeling the Albiceleste would pay for not killing off Peru was palpable. That feeling became reality in the form of a 90th minute header from Peru sub Hernan Rengifo.
It took 63-year-old Martin Palermo—back in the national team fold after a decade of exile—to save Maradona’s fat ass as the Boca striker poked home the winner in the third minute of stoppage time after a few fortunate and monsoon-aided deflections in the box.
The gaffer’s reaction was to test the Richter devices of Argentina. All class that man. Maradona actually does deserve a little bit of credit here. He gave Gonzalo Higuaín his first cap and start. And the Madrileño responded with Argentina’s first goal. Additionally, it was the cokehead who brought Palmermo back after the aforementioned 10-year hiatus (this was actually his second cap back if I’m not mistaken).
Lost in the orgy of feel-goodness, though, was how close Argentina came to blowing this in the most improbable of ways.
It’s hard to see in the video because 1) the rain and 2) the cameras didn’t really catch it live (you can kind of see it through the maelstrom on replay toward the end of the video above). But on the restart, Peru took a shot from the center circle and forced a save from keeper Sergio Romero that still HIT THE CROSSBAR. The keeper had to get a touch to it to avoid maybe the most epic disaster in the country’s history.
The Argies still don’t have punched tickets for South Africa. In fact their grasp on 2010 is only slightest less tenuous than it would have been had they not won. They go to Uruguay (who themselves pulled out an improbable win with a stoppage time PK) and still need at least a draw or they might not even hold on to the 5th place Home-and-Home reparchage with whichever CONCACAF team finishes just out of the money.
An Argentina loss coupled with an Ecuador win, and there’s no Messi on the list for the football world’s biggest soiree (correct my math here, but that would put Uruguay in 4th on 27 points, Ecuador in 5th on 26 points, and Argentina in 6th on 25 points) . Ecuador has to go to Chile, but the Chileans have locked up a spot and have nothing to play for. So, it’s not that improbable that South Africa 2010 still doesn’t have an Argentina side featuring maybe the best player in the world.
Comments
hard to see in that video but was the goal scorer in an offside position?
That was my thought too, TFA. Looked like a teammate was the one in line with him, not a Peru defender…
Even harder to see (in the sense that it’s difficult to look at) is Maradona’s ill-advised belly flop/dive. Have some dignity, man.
Palermo employed the little-used “behind everybody, so not offside” rule wrinkle there. I did similar playing against the Rec Center team when I was 6. It didn’t get called then, which is why I know the rule exists.
Looks like the referee would have been in good position to see an offside as well, somehow he wound up way off to the side of the play. Maybe the AR figured the ref would call it, and the ref thought the AR would catch it.
>Have some dignity, man.
The dude is probably the best player that ever lived so I think your opinion is worth less than a fart.
As for the urugay game, its not even do or die because lets face it, if you cant beat a Concacacaf reject then you dont deserve to go to SA.