Last night we went to a soccer match between Club Universitario de Deportes, La "U", of Lima and Cusco's Club Cienciano. The U was playing for the title of Champion in Peru's Torneo Apertura so it made for an exciting match and a boisterous crowd, specially since it was being played at the U's own Estadio Monumental.
It took us over an hour to get there as the traffic was so bad and the cops had closed the streets closest to the stadium. The authorities had granted permission for the stadium to be filled to its 70,000 capacity, so the lines to get in were long. We got in after the game had started and had to negotiate our way through the crowds to get to our seats, which were among just 500 numbered seats for this game. We had excellent seats: 16 rows back and right on the midfield line.
The game was a good one, with Cienciano keeping the U's goalie quite busy throughout the match. However, the crowd was way more fun, with the chanting and singing going on (70,000 voices can get quite loud), and the constant flares being set off despite reminders over the loudspeakers that "pyrotechnics of any sort are prohibited."
The U defeated Cienciano 3-1 and won the championship.
It took us over an hour to get there as the traffic was so bad and the cops had closed the streets closest to the stadium. The authorities had granted permission for the stadium to be filled to its 70,000 capacity, so the lines to get in were long. We got in after the game had started and had to negotiate our way through the crowds to get to our seats, which were among just 500 numbered seats for this game. We had excellent seats: 16 rows back and right on the midfield line.
The game was a good one, with Cienciano keeping the U's goalie quite busy throughout the match. However, the crowd was way more fun, with the chanting and singing going on (70,000 voices can get quite loud), and the constant flares being set off despite reminders over the loudspeakers that "pyrotechnics of any sort are prohibited."
The U defeated Cienciano 3-1 and won the championship.
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