Argentina comes to play
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Argentine sports fans are savoring a string of recent international sports triumphs, even as the “Argentine Legion” of tennis stars has dropped from the top 10.
First came the NBA championship of the San Antonio Spurs, practically a home team with its two Argentine luminaries, Emanuel “Manu” Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto.
Then Angel “Pato” Cabrera defeated Tiger Woods in the U.S. Open.
On Ginobili’s popular website, fans noted that the U.S. magazine Sports Illustrated featured on its cover a photo of five Spurs, bookended by the two Argentines, and a headline announcing Cabrera’s victory.
But the biggest triumph of all came Wednesday evening [June 20], when Boca Juniors won the Copa Libertadores, the region’s most important club soccer tournament, defeating the Brazilian squad, Gremio, 2-0, in Porto Alegre. Netting the two goals was Juan Román Riquelme, the talented but erratic playmaker who is back on the Argentine national squad after resigning following criticism of his play in last year’s World Cup in Germany.
Boca’s latest championship can’t hurt the political aspirations of Mauricio Macri, the club president, who leads in polls for Sunday’s mayoral elections in Buenos Aires.
Posted by Patrick J. McDonnell and Andrés D’Alessandro in Buenos Aires