A big party was held this afternoon at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center, where Brazil defeated Argentina and win the gold medal in the hard-fought final match of football-5-a-side, an adaptation of football for people with a vision impairment.

The Brazilians scored the first goal during the first half and, despite the multiple attempts of both teams, the scoreboard did not change before the halftime interval. The public filled the sports center and was impressed by the skills of these Para athletes and their attempts to score a goal.

During the halftime interval, the Lima 2019 Games official mascot Milco and volunteers invited everyone to stand up, including Argentinian and Brazilian fans, to dance to the rhythm of “Cariñito,” among other songs.

In the second half and after six accumulated fouls of the Argentinian team, a penalty kick was awarded for the Brazilian team, who scored the second goal. The final score was 2-0.

With the “Brazil champion” chants, the “carioca” team approached the grandstand area after the match to thank the fans, sing together and celebrate the victory.

Tamiris Francis, wife of number 9 player Tiago Silva of the Brazilian football-5-a-side team, said the team deserves this victory because they are really focused and very dedicated. “Being here makes me very happy, and I get excited because I’ve been following them and they’re the best,” she added.

Previously, Mexico overcame Colombia 1-0 and picked up the bronze medal.

Athletes from the football 5-a-side team said goodbye to the Parapan American Games with the support of Peruvian fans, who are called the “the best fanbase in the world” for good reason, because they never stopped rooting for the national team in every match in spite of some bad scores.

Yesterday, Peru lost 5-1 to Brazil, current world champion and Paralympic champion, and the team said goodbye to the competition. However, they received and standing ovation after the match for all their dedication and effort in the Parapan American Games.

While they were all together singing our second anthem “Contigo Perú” at Villa María del Triunfo, the athletes said goodbye and showed their gratitude for all the support they received during competition days. Likewise, after the match, many fans wanted to take selfies with the athletes.

The Peruvian fans pointed out that, despite losing some matches, they have gained a lot of experience and that will be useful in upcoming competitions. “Now, Peruvians know more about this sport and will always support us,” said a Peruvian Para athlete.

Today at 14:30 Mexico and Colombia will compete for the bronze medal and at 17:30 Brazil and Argentina will fight for the gold.

We should remember football 5-a-side is a discipline adapted for people with visual impairment and it uses a ball that makes noise. Each team consists of four people with low visual acuity and/or who do not perceive light, plus a goalkeeper without a visual impairment.