In perhaps the least friendly amistoso ever played, Argentina’s summer tournament came to a nasty end last night when the Copa Ciudad de la Plata final between Estudiantes and Gimnasia was suspended due to a massive, unstoppable shitstorm of a brawl. Vergüenza total.
The game-ending red card offense and subsequent brutal exchange of blows came after a ten-minute delay earlier on in the second half due to a disruption in the stands, and this mind-blowing kick, which reminds me of some sort of outrageous Donkey Kong slam my friends and I might have joked around with in middle school. One hundred percent inexcusable. Straight red for Álvaro Pereira, which left Gimnasia’s Facundo Oreja unconscious.
Arguably the worst, most frustrating part of this entire incident? Gimnasia coach Pedro Troglio brushing it off as “cosas del fútbol.” His team even cheered and celebrated with their hinchas post-match. Really? FFS. I’m staying as far away as physically possible from anyone who tries to tell me that “los clásicos se juegan así.”