After having fallen behind in the first minute of the bronze medal match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, Argentina’s Blind Futsal team fought back to claim the medal on penalties after a 1-1 draw during the standard 50 minutes on Wednesday. After the early Spanish goal, the Murciélagos struggled to find their rhythm, but in the second half it was the ‘blind Maradona’, Silvio Velo, who got the equaliser from the penalty spot, ten minutes after having seen a previous spot kick saved. In the penalty shootout, Diego Cerega scored the only shot as goalkeeper Gonzalo Abbas Hachaché (goalkeepers in the blind game are the only sighted members of the team) saved all three Spanish attempts. It wasn’t the gold they came for, but at least the world champions had something to take back home.
Hasta El Gol Siempre 