I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to watch the Argentina vs Peru World Cup qualifying match in Buenos Aires, which took place on Friday October 11th in the iconic Monumental Stadium. Even though Argentina had already booked their place in the World Cup finals and Peru had no chance of bagging themselves a spot, the players still gave everything they had in what was a highly gripping football match. [caption id="attachment_2537" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Monumental Stadium The iconic Monumental Stadium where the match took place / source[/caption] The World Cup qualifier tour picked us up from downtown Buenos Aires in the afternoon, from where we were driven in a comfortable bus to a bar in the heart of trendy Palermo. We spent approximately an hour at this bar, which was a great opportunity to get to know everyone, and were given plenty of delicious pizza and beer to keep us going throughout the game. After that, the tour bus drove us to the Monumental Stadium and our friendly tour guide explained everything we needed to know ahead of the game as well as giving us our tickets. Upon arrival, we were greeted with the vision of numerous Argentinian football fans, all dressed in blue and white, marching excitedly along the street with horns and flags. We were taken to our seats in the Popular (General) section of the stadium, located behind the goal, where people were getting even more excited as the football players from both teams warmed up. Confetti was thrown and shouts, cheers and whistles filled the air as the countdown to the start of the match began. [caption id="attachment_2527" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Argentinian fans Argentinian fans arrived at the stadium with banners and wigs / source[/caption]

The match started at 8pm and, after just 20 minutes, Peru scored the first goal, causing Argentina’s National fans to look rather concerned. However, Argentina soon fought back and scored not just one but two goals before the end of the first half, which had the crowd leaping up and down with joy. The atmosphere at this point was electric, everyone was on their feet cheering for Ezequiel Lavezzi, who had scored both goals. The Argentinian team had clearly regained their confidence and for a moment everyone thought they had scored yet again, but unfortunately the goal was disallowed as the striker was offside.

During halftime, everyone sat down to give their feet a rest and discuss the game. We had the chance to take a toilet break and buy some water or a snack before the game got back underway, and our tour guide made sure that we were all enjoying themselves. Once the second half of the match began, the Argentinian team wasted little time in extending their lead, as within just a couple of minutes they had scored a third goal, causing the stadium to erupt once again. Unfortunately for the Peruvians, the Argentinian team continued to perform at a high standard throughout the rest of the match, up until the whistle was blown and the players could finally relax in the knowledge that they had done more than enough to outdo their opponents. It was a fantastic feeling to leave the home stadium of the winning team, surrounded by ecstatic local fans. The match may have been over, but our tour guide continued to take care of us and make sure we all returned safely in the tour bus to the centre of Buenos Aires, where we arrived just before 22.30. All in all, seeing an international game, in this case a World Cup Rio 2014 qualifying game, is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a  football experience in Buenos Aires and share the Argentinians' passion for this sport.

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By Camilla Day