Copa América 2004-Football (Soccer)-Virtual Tour of Peru

Peru 3, Venezuela 1.

Peru is also in the second round -not mathematically, yet, but quite there.

Saturday's games, again at Chiclayo.

Near Chiclayo is Huasca Rajada, the site of the Mochican culture, and their famous Lord of Sipan.


The Lord of Sipan


Jewel details of the Lord of Sipan's tomb




The tomb of the Lord of Sipan, a monarch who ruled 1700 years ago was over a piramidal hill.
To his sides were the remains of two women, six children, six warriors, a llama and a dog. Lots of jewels and more than one thousand ceramic pieces.

A big museum in the site was opened in 2002.

Hm, there's still hope...

All we need is...
Brazil to beat Costarica
Paraguay to beat Chile
Costarica and Chile to play draw
Mexico or Uruguay to play draw with Ecuador
Argentina to beat those that will play draw with Ecuador
and...
Venezuela to beat Bolivia.

There, simple And Venezuela is in next round

Mexico beats Argentina... 1-0. Good game! That makes them tops in Group B, I think.

The weekend games.

Uruguay 2, Ecuador 1

MEXICO 1, Argentina 0

Mexico proposed the game in the first half and played defensively in the second half (too long), while the Argentinians got desperate.
If you want to know Mexican sports press, they're actually angry at the coach. If the team played so much better against Argentina than against Uruguay, it was because Torrado played yesterday. Dumb coach Lavolpe benched Torrado against Uruguay.
We are like Croatia. We simply play better against stronger teams.

Brazil 4, Costa Rica 1

Costa Rica has to be thanked. Every time they face Brazil, they actually try to win the game. In the World Cup, they got whiped 5-2. In Copa America it was 4 to 1.

Chile 1, Paraguay 1

(MOU, I guess the "vinotinto"'s (redwine... Venezuela) chances are dimming... but perhaps they'll beat Bolivia -their first Copa America win since 1967- and hope Chile and Costa Rica draw)

Tomorrow's game are at Trujillo. Virtual tour for tomorrow.

Last matches for Group A.
Peru - Colombia
Venezuela - Bolivia

The games are to be held at Trujillo. This is the first time the Peruvian team plays host outside Lima.

Trujillo, the post important city of Northern Peru, was founded by Diego de Almagro in 1534, it bears the name of the Spanish town in which Francisco Pizarro, conqueror of Peru, was born. Peruvians call it "the city of eternal spring".





Near Trujillo stand the remains of the clay citadel of Chan Chan, capital of the preincan kingdom of Greater Chimú.

Fabulous photographs, fbaezer. Thanks for finding and sharing them. I've been looking up Chan Chan on the 'net. Quite a place!

I was surprised to read this in the Copa regulations:



I'm guessing that means the (two) best teams of those ranked third get to move on and this system is used because they needed enough teams to make up the next round. It's like Wild Card teams in baseball.

The Mexico-Argentina game was very enjoyable to watch even though it was difficult since the commentary was Spanish. My kids sat with me and helped translate. I picked up a few words but reminded myself that I never used to understand much of what was going on when that Irish commentator called Premier games in the UK either.

Mexico looked much stronger than I expected... the keeper was awesome. Argentina were pitifully inaccurate on their shots -- what's with that? Interesting that, as you say, the Mexican papers were angry with Lavolpe. So they wanted a win not a draw against Uruguay.

I think even if Costa Rica wins "we" have a chance Their goal-difference sucks

Go VENEZUELA!!!

Venezuela 1, Bolivia 1.

Sorry MOU.

Venezuela was better throughout the game.
They have this forward, Rondón, who just cannot shoot a goal. Three times it was easier to miss than to score. Twice he missed; the other time, he made a pass to another player... who also missed.

Venezuela is out. Bolivia will have to wait for the result of Chile-Costa Rica. If it's a scoreless or 1-1 tie, Bolivia is in.

Third World stuff: lights went out on one corner of the Trujillo stadium, and the referee let the game go on, while Venezuela attacked. As soon as Bolivia recovered the ball and crossed midfield, the referee suspended the game until the lights in that zone went on again.

Peru 2, Colombia 2.

The draw was made to favor Peru. But the locals weren't able to win their group. Now it's set to benefit Colombia. Peru will have to face the second place of group B. That is either Mexico (who will play with several subs against Ecuador), Uruguay or, most likely, Argentina.

Today's matches, Mexico-Ecuador and Uruguay-Argentina, will be played at the northern city of Piura, "the city of eternal heat". It's next to the desert and has oil and beaches.

damn
Croatia, Venezuela...I think Asian Cup is coming soon, so let's see what losers I will pick there

A curious thing about Piura, I heard today in the radio, is the ephimeral existance of a big lagoon, due to the effects of "El Niño" in 1997-98. It's called "La Niña". The lagoon "was born" in those years, and has subsided to almost dissapearance now.
The reported said it was an eerie sight. A ghost port, with small ships stranded in the middle of the desert.

I thought you were joking but, yes, MOU, the Asian Cup is coming soon! Only four days for kickoff.

Who's your favourite, Qatar, Thailand, Indonesia, Iraq?
They seem to be the likely losers.

Asian Cup website

Anyway, they've got the cutest mascot:

Nah, I will support Iraq at Olympics, here I'll go with Turkmenistan.

LOL

Just read than less than 20% of people polled believe Turkmenistan will do better than either Jordan or Oman.

LOLROTF

yeah, this time I actually have no hopes at all

Mexico 2, Ecuador 1

The subs were having a stroll when an Ecuadorian (sp?) goal made the Mexican team look like a tossed salad. But it was too late for the "middle-earthers".

Peruvians are now rooting for Uruguay against Argentina. If Uruguay loses, the hosts will have to face the Argentinians in quarter-finals.

Argentina 4, Uruguay 2. Nice match.

Peru got exactly what it tried to avoid with the rigged draw... to face Argentina early in the tournament.

hey, what happens if Chile-Costa Rica play 2:2?
Then Chile and Bolivia both have two points and goal difference 3:4.

They decide it by draw I suppose?

By draw it is, MOU.

More third world stuff: during the game between Mexico and Ecuador, a stray dog appeared on the field. Tells a lot about "security" and underdevelopment.

Costa Rica - Chile will be played in Tacna, "the Heroic City", south of Peru, near the Chilean border.

They've got a small equivalent of St. Louis' Gateway Arch:



Plus the Bolognesi Promenade, reminding of the Paseo las Ramblas, in Barcelona (but not classy and without the people, it seems):



It's interesting to notice that one of Peru's most attractive and important cities, Ayacucho, does not host any games.
Political unrest and fear for the safety of players seem to be the main reasons.
I'll post something about Ayacucho during the quarter-finals stage.