It was nearer than it should have been, but the result was the same. On Saturday 2 December, La Dolfina beat Ellerstina 14-13 at Palermo with a golden goal in an extra chukka from Juan Martín Nero, winning the 124th Argentine Open for the fifth year in a row.
A four-goal lead disappears
La Dolfina appeared to be cruising at 13-9 up, only for the lead to vanish. Ellerstina came back to force a tie-break and a golden-goal chukka. There was real tension in the stands, but it did not seem to reach Cambiaso or his team-mates, who worked a collective move that Nero finished off. Cambiaso was top scorer with eight goals. Nero, who scored the golden goal, was chosen as the best player of the final.
The result gave Cambiaso his 14th Palermo title, with La Dolfina’s fifth in a row meaning they have now won the tournament ten times since 2005. There was no Triple Crown this year: La Dolfina won the Tortugas Open and the Argentine Open, but their only defeat of the season came in the Hurlingham Open semi-finals, against Alegría.
The first women’s Argentine Open
Earlier on the same day, on field 2, the final of the first Argentine Open for women went to La Dolfina Brava, captained by 15-year-old Mía Cambiaso, daughter of Adolfo and María Vázquez. Her team-mates were the two daughters of La Dolfina’s coach, Milo Fernández Araujo, and they also beat Ellerstina, giving the family a double. Neither parent could watch the match from the stands, because it was so close to the main final, but both followed on a mobile phone from the team’s tent. Her brother Poroto, then 12, ran onto the field to hug her.
What it tells us
- La Dolfina: Cambiaso, David Stirling, Pablo Mac Donough and Nero, all rated 10, carry a 40-goal handicap.
- Ellerstina: forced the golden-goal chukka from four goals down, which says a lot about their resilience.
- The women’s game: a first official Open in Palermo is a welcome step for the sport.
Whether this La Dolfina is the best team in history is the question being asked in Buenos Aires, and Cambiaso says time will tell. Five in a row at Palermo, and ten since 2005, makes a strong argument.
Sources: Caras, Diario de Cuyo
