Fabián:

Viggo, lots of things to tell. I´ve still got the three days in Rio Gallegos on my mind. The snow, the rain, the wind, the intense cold and also the joy of having shared those days with a magnificent crew. The team constituted, among others, by Juji, Chuleta, Fede, Matías and Cato (sound techs, grips, camera technicians, etc.) reminded me of the actors who starred in that film called "The Hangover," where the guys wake up with a terrible hangover in a hotel in Las Vegas, sharing their wrecked luxury suite with a baby and a tiger and they don´t know where they came from.

I also remember that in the airport, you showed me the Kierkegaard book and I felt like reading it right away. I hope I can get an English edition. I also remember how we saw the final stages of the match with Unión, very nervously, you watching from the street, through the glass of the hotel lobby because you couldn't bear being so close to the television anymore and I was standing, kicking, unintentionally, one of the chairs when Jara made that backheel instead of kicking [it] up the center with everything he had. Luckily Alan Ruiz put an end to our anguish after that great hard kick. Now we´ve just finished the film that was a three year long project and something empty stays with you. Yours and Ghita´s final scenes fascinated me. There was something timeless, metaphysical and mysterious in that interchange of words. Thank you for having come to your second home and having supported this project we initiated with Lisandro knowing that for us, as I have told you many times, only you could carry it out, brother.

Viggo:

Cuervo, Thank you, Fabián, for having written our story and collaborating with us until the last day to get the best out of your script. It was a fun shoot, and I think it will result in a very special film.

Yesterday, as we finished our filming, I was overcome by a strange feeling of loss, this emptiness you speak about. It´s normal when plays or the shooting of a film come to an end; the work of the group is over and you are left alone in the night while the process of telling disappears as if it had never taken place. With work and the schedule concentrated on Lisandro´s shooting, the down effect is maybe a bit more intense, a bit longer, than in a "normal" shoot. Although this feeling couldn´t take away my pride and satisfaction in having participated in the film that you and Lisandro devised, and in which our great crew worked with loyalty and joy from beginning to end, I was left in a zone beyond sleep. Sleepless, I watched the broadcast of last night's exciting match for the Copa Libertadores, the resolution of the quarter finals between Atlético Tijuana and Atlético Mineiros. On one hand, Ronaldinho still seems like a phenomenon to me. The coach of the Brazilian national team is crazy if he doesn't take him as 10 to the World Cup. Ronnie's vision of the field as well as his millimeter passes are still the best in the world. He's not as quick as he was some years ago, but he has the soccer intelligence and physical control he always had. At any moment, he can solve a match with a free kick or a great goal pass. Like Messi, he works on the basis of an artistic mentality. He's a creator who makes a great maneuver out of nothing; he makes decisions with the ball in a fraction of a second that don't occur to any other player.

On the other hand, speaking of the two matches between the Belo Horizonte's team (founded in 1908, like CASLA) and the one from north Mexico, coached brilliantly by Turco Mohamed, it was the Xolos who earned most of the credit for going on to the semi-final against Newell's. In the second leg match, it seemed to me Tijuana dominated almost the whole 94 minutes, but the miracle was not to be. David is left without stones and Goliath is still alive. In an incredible stop by the goalkeeper, Victor, of the penalty that was shot in the 93rd minute by the Rojinegros' talented Colombian striker, Duvier Riascos (who had scored a beautiful goal in the first period), the Brazilian team fended off the big scare. Because of a left foot that the goalkeeper dragged after having made a mistake by throwing himself to his right, the ball didn't go in and the miracle was instantly dead for the visiting team which had demonstrated so much that they deserved to go up in the tournament. The big team, coached by Cuca, goes on to the next round without having demonstrated superiority on the field. That's life, the rigors of fate.

Fabián:

Cuervo, the match with Rafaela was dreadful. Anita and I were getting bored watching it just when the TV pointed at you and Anita shouted, "Uncle Viggo, Dad!"

It was a pity we couldn´t win because now, knowing the score by River, we could be three [points] from Newell´s and equal with Ramón´s guys. But there´s still some way to go and we have to win as much as we can. The only thing I regret is that CASLA couldn´t play well, launching an attack, with the ball not leaving the ground. They seemed muddled, like when you wake up nervous from a nap, in a bad mood, "alunado"[ tr.note: cranky] as they said in Boedo. Next up, the Argentinos, and it's not just any match, because Caruso is coaching, because at one time this team sent us to "B," and because if we win playing well, we're one shot away from the top. At the same time, I believe Newell's deserves to be champion, but my heart says something else...

Viggo:

Hello from Spain, Fabián. As you know, I went by car to see the match in Rafaela when we finished with our shoot. I got lost for an hour and a half and arrived just in time to go to the stadium. Although we weren't playing as well as in recent games, the team was improving and hitting with their passes during the match, and I think they deserved to win it. We got into the opposition's box several times during the last ten minutes, but we weren't lucky. In the first period, the referee was wrong not to give a penalty when two of Rafaela's defenders made a sandwich of Verón. I was watching from above, almost on top of where it happened, and it was crystal clear to me. It was a goal play. It's obvious that an early goal would have changed everything. With a goal against them, I don't think the opposing team would have gotten as far back as they ended up doing for the whole match. At times, a super cautious strategy brings a good result, if you defend really well and the truth is that they plugged up almost everything that was going through the middle close to their box.

Victory was not to be, but we can´t moan that much. At least we scored a valuable point. It´s true what you say. When I landed and learned that River had lost and Lanús had tied, I thought we had squandered a nice opportunity to be on a par with River in the chart. But we are only two points from them now. Lanús comes to our field on the last date of the tournament so that ranking is in our grasp. I think we can surpass them. What´s necessary is for Newell´s to lose today before All Boys. It´s possible, just like the slip-up by Pelado and Mellizo´s guys became possible. Our tie reminded me once again of the 2008 match where we tied 3-3 with Newell´s in Rosario. Like now, after the 0-0 in Rafaela, I thought then that we were left without any possibility of fighting for the championship. In 2008, in spite of the tie with Lepra [tr. note: Newell´s nickname], we finally ended up first, tied with Tigre and Boca. We need to take into account that unexpected things happen, like the Gallinas defeat yesterday and the Granate´s [tr. note Lanús nickname] tie. We mustn´t give up. While there´s a mathematical possibility of becoming champions, it has to be our main objective. Let´s see whether San Lorenzo can win the three remaining matches. Then they will only have to wait for whatever Newell´s, River and Godoy Cruz do. We have to continue minding our own business, and see who´s the first to fall.

I´ve got a physical and mental hangover as a result of finishing our intense shoot and the round trip to Rafaela, returning to Buenos Aires just in time to catch the flight to Madrid. Added to all that, the tension of watching the tie live. It was a luxury to be so near our players before and after the match. What I liked in a sporting sense was that they never panicked. They communicated a collective calm that was above the frustration they might have felt because of a match that was hard-fought but ultimately without relief. After the match ended, I saw how everyone - Pizzi too- was very quiet for several minutes in the locker room. Everyone knew that they could have taken the three points and that maybe they deserved to have gotten them. But they quickly composed themselves and began to focus on what was left for them to play. It seemed like a healthy reaction to me. Lammens came in and also greeted the team in a very positive way. I drove all night to get to the capital, but I had a good time, in part because of what I witnessed after the match. It was a good lesson that gave me energy and hope. The way the whole club had of pondering and accepting the result, the president as well as Pizzi and his team, inspired me. It made me smile and sing during the six hours of the night-time journey. When I stopped to fill up with gas and drink a few mates, I felt a strong connection with the other Cuervos that I met at the service station. There's a quote from Marcus Aurelius that nicely describes this kind of positive reaction to life's reverses. The Roman emperor's words go more or less like this:

"Accept the things to which fate binds you, love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart."

I saw peace in the faces of the players and their coach. I saw that they will continue to be strong, united. It doesn't matter where we end up in the charts. I feel peaceful and content with this team. I know that they are going to fight the rest of the tournament with cleverness and with a good collective effort and I know that Ciclón is very well prepared for everything that this year will bring. There's no trouble; there's family. Now another interesting challenge for CASLA presents itself, the match with Caruso Lombardi´s Argentinos Juniors in our field. I think it will be more a mental than a physical test. I wish I could be at Pedro Bidegain [tr. note: aka Nuevo Gasómetro] to watch this match, because there´s a lot in play for the two teams. I trust this new version we have of the Carasucias, and I feel more proud than ever to be a San Lorenzo supporter.

After not sleeping for the last two days, I´m about to fall asleep, but I´ve got the laptop in bed and I´ve just seen Ferrari´s sensational bicycle kick that gave the 1-0 to All Boys. Newell´s is losing! We are there, we are there... I hope when I wake up I will read that it ended as a victory for the Floresta guys, because I can´t go on anymore... I´m passing out... Good night..

P.S.
I woke up and there are five minutes left to play in Floresta. Incredible, the All Boys! 2-1... let´s see, let´s see...
Three minutes left plus extra time to play... they continue 2-1...
Yikes! VILDOZO JUST MISSED A GOOD ONE! Almost 3-1...
The 90 [minutes] are over. The referee adds 5 more minutes...
Two minutes left to play... 2 and a half.... corner from Newell´s... nothing...
A minute left... free kick from Lepra... nothing... it´s finishing, it´s finishing? 15 seconds...


All Boys Won!

The guy from the TV says that now Lanús and River are dreaming. They´ll see... they´ll see who´s dreaming. Now it's for real: not just good night, but a very good night.