Ronaldinho and his Flamengo were defeated by a score of 2-1 by Bolivia's Real Potosí.
Flamengo is one of the storied franchises of Brazil. The day that it was founded is celebrated as a National Holiday. In 1981, they shut out the mighty Liverpool 3-0 to become World Champions on the back of play by the incredible Raul Plassman, Leandro, Carlos Mozer, Jorge Luís Andrade, and one of the greats, Zico. It was in that same year that they won their one and only Copa Libertadores (the top international South American tournament). But in 2012's rendition they lost a humiliating first game against lowly Real Potosí.
Real Potosí had one key advantage over Flamengo, one of the greatest home field advantages in sports. Real Potosí plays in the Estadio Víctor Agustín Ugarte. While 32,000 screaming fans would be enough to intimidate any of the Brazilian greats, its location at 3,960 meters above sea level makes it the penultimate castle upon the hill. Flamengo trained for a week at the high altitude, but it was to no avail.
Real Potosí can and should celebrate this victory as it was a true David and Goliath affair. But Flamengo gets them back home in Rio de Janiero to finish the tie. Unless Real Potosí can conjur up some incredible magic, it is likely that they will return home only with their moral victory.
No comments:
Post a Comment