After spending a bit of time in Cuenca, Ecuador I wanted to catch a soccer game in South America before the start of the World Cup, what better than a Peruvian Liga 1 Futbol game in Piura. The game I wanted to see was the team from Piura, Peru. The interesting thing about this club is they play their games 1 hour away in a small town called Bernel.
Upon arriving from my overnight bus trip from Cuenca, Ecuador, I checked into the hotel, and then received logistical instructions on how to get to Bernel. This consisted of me taking a taxi to a bus station, from there to a small town called La Union, and then taking a tuk tuk to Bernel. Once at the stadium, just over 1 hour before game time, I noticed the scene was a little light in terms of people.
The game for the day was between Club Atletico Grau vs Club Carlos A Mannucci. Around 30 minutes before gametime, many spectators showed up as both teams had taken the field for pre-game warmups. Another interesting fact is that Atletico Grau had their supporters’ band show up to play drums which added a nice flavor and rhythm to the game itself. One other thing I found interesting was the number of kids that were selling food and popsicles during the game. The game was interesting until the final moments as Atletico Grau finished with a 2-1 victory with the game winning goal coming in the last several minutes of the game. It felt good to see the home fans happy as I rode with many of them in either the tuk tuk or bus back to Piura.