Pacho vs. Piero

Happy birthday to Mary.

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Some old-ish news:

For the second straight year, an Ecuadorian will win the UEFA Champions League. Paris Saint-Germain (the holders) and Arsenal will contest the final. Willian Pacho plays for PSG, and Piero Hincapié plays for Arsenal.

Both play for the national team, and they used to be teammates at Independiente del Valle.

I don’t care which club wins the Champions League. Arsenal once were purists; now they’re pragmatists. PSG are delightful to watch, but one can muster only so much enthusiasm for a propaganda arm of the Qatari state.

What about the players? Should I cheer more for Pacho or for Piero? Pacho won last year, and Piero hasn’t won. (Advantage: Piero.) But Pacho is likelier to play more minutes. (Advantage: Pacho.)

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Recent news:

CR7’s club failed to clinch the Saudi league title because of this very late “own” goal:

Қайрат (Kairat) 0, Πάφος (Paphos) 0

In Almaty, Kazakhs and Cypriots both failed to win their easiest match of the Champions League group stage.

Kairat’s failure was greater. (A Paphos defender was red-carded in minute 4.) Happily, the draw allowed the upstart ex-Soviets to leap over respectable Athletic Bilbao, as well as illustrious Ajax and Benfica, in the standings.

The islanders – who, on Matchday 1, had stalemated Olimpiacos (6–1 losers today, at Barcelona) – already were perched above that trio.

Did I watch any of these games? I did not.

Now, a report on some (not all) of my compatriots.

Willian Pacho scored Paris Saint-Germain’s first goal of seven at Bayer Leverkusen. (PSG won.)

A game I did watch: Piero Hincapié’s Arsenal smoked Atlético Madrid, 4–0. Piero didn’t play. He’s easing back from injury. The starting left-back, Calafiori, rested; Lewis-Skelly, Calafiori’s understudy, played brilliantly, assisting on the second goal. Piero also can play left center-back. That position’s occupant, Gabriel, scored, then assisted.

Hardworking Viktor Gyökeres, a Swede – the game’s best player – broke his scoring drought with two goals. He’s not a positional rival of Piero’s. I rooted for him.

Argentina 1, Ecuador 0

I viewed the second half of Ecuador’s “friendly” match vs. Argentina, preparatory to this summer’s Copa América (which, for reasons of greed, is being held in the United States). It was played in Chicago. Ecuador lost; our coach is still clueless; we are devoid of strikers; Argentina is a cut above. Even so, I enjoyed the game. Such players as Moisés Caicedo and Willian Pacho give pleasure no matter what the rest of the team is doing. And by now I have a great liking for these Argentinians. They may not always win, but everything they do is purposeful; and the goal Di María scored tonight was pure artistry. “They teach you not to toe-poke,” the commentator said, “but this is when you toe-poke.” (Right, but who are these morons teaching children not to toe-poke?) De Paul’s pass was lovely, too, and Romero should be credited for moving to an unusual position to receive it.

I also liked that the Ecuadorians and Argentinians kicked each other hard but still joked with each other on the field. (They might not have been so friendly in, well, a non-“friendly.”)

Also gratifying (more so, result-wise): Colombia beat the USA, 5–1; and Uruguay beat Mexico, 4–0. David and I noted that the Uruguayans barely seemed to try, except for their poor wingers who had to keep running into empty space, and poor Darwin Núñez who had to stay with them to convert his tap-ins.