Wherever soccer is played, and in whatever language, journalistic cliches are bound to follow. Try as they might to avoid it, all writers (including the) occasionally resort to using set phrases that make out lives easier when faced with a tight deadline.
In England, for example, one may talk about a game of two halves, logical enough since this requirement is written in to soccer’s rulebook. A taller than average player who shows ability with the ball almost always possesses a “nice touch for a big man.” One commentator especially keen on clichés, Andy Gray, even brought local hero Lionel Messi into the folklore of meaningless words spouted out in relation to the beautiful game (there goes another), opining that he was unsure of the best player in the world’s ability to shine “on a wet Wednesday night in Stoke.” The jury admittedly is still out on that one.
In Argentina, meanwhile, the almost poetic reverence soccer fans hold for their beloved game is reflected in the language used to talk about it. Perhaps the most over-used phrase in the entire sporting vocabulary is the “derrota digna” (the dignified defeat) — the latest of which we saw on Saturday with San Lorenzo’s 2-0 reverse at the hands of the mighty Real Madrid.
Edgardo Bauza’s men were rank outsiders against the Spanish giants, who added their fourth trophy of the season with victory in the Club World Cup. But the team has every reason to hold its head high. They were beaten by a superior side, but not dominated nor humiliated. Playing with a budget totalling just eight million euros a year, as revealed before the match, against a team working with almost 100 times that amount with 571 million there is plenty of reason for the San Lorenzo players to be proud of their achievement.
Argentine soccer has produced and continues to produce some of the greatest players ever to play the game. Sadly though, most of these choose to spend their best years outside the country as the ever-precarious economic situation means even top clubs cannot hope to match the salaries on offer in Europe and elsewhere. This means that the Primera División is a curious mix of young hopefuls, returning veterans and a bulk of journeymen not good enough to make it across the Atlantic. Even as the Libertadores Cup champions San Lorenzo are no exception, and even before winning that trophy in August had lost their best player Ángel Correa to Madrid’s city rivals Átlético.
While the Spanish team had spent fortunes on players like Toni Kroos, James Rodríguez and Javier Hernández since lifting the Champions League, their rivals had only got worse in the aftermath of Li-bertadores glory. But that did not matter to the thousands of fans who accompanied them to Morocco, in many cases spending their life savings for the chance to see their team crowned world champions.
Midfielder Néstor Ortigoza was one hero. Six years ago, while Cristiano Ronaldo was already a millionaire megastar with Manchester United, Ortigoza supplemented his tiny income with lower-league Nueva Chicago by playing shady private matches in the roughest neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires. But the Paraguay international played the game of his life, putting his body on the line to mark Ronaldo out of the game and ensure that the on-fire striker would not be hitting the net. Another inspiring figure was Leandro Romagnoli. “Pipi” tore up a lucrative contract with Brazil’s Bahía this year which at 33 years old would have set him up well for an eventual life outside the sport.
But after winning the Libertadores, Romagnoli decided to stay in Bajo Flores, fighting out another tough Argentine season. The playmaker came off the bench in the final against Madrid, and burst into tears with the rest of his teammates at the final whistle when the Cuervo fans pulled out a giant flag and sang in a tremendous display of support.
“We accept the defeat, which is not dignified or anything like that. It is a defeat, and I don’t like it even against such a good opponent,” Bauza explained following the match, having seen Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale destroy his side’s dreams. He is right, but the loss should not take anything away from San Lorenzo’s incredible achievements over the last few years. 30 months ago, the team was playing the promotion-relegation playoff. From those dark days, revival: a national title, finalists in the Copa Argentina, and of course that unforgettable first-ever Libertadores title that removed the stigma of being the only “big five” club without one. There is nothing undignified about that journey back to the summit of Argentine and South American soccer.
Source. Buenos Aires Herald