The Imbeciles manage a draw...

The Copa America got under way on Tuesday amidst fairly low-key festivities - at least in Arequipa - and near disaster for the home team. While all the local radio stations and newspapers speculate about the possible boost to tourism, the evidence of a major football tournament taking place here is currently limited to garlands being hung along the arcades around the plaza, plus a few Chileans and the odd Brazilian mooching around the bars and restaurants in the centre (Arequipa is home to the group containing Brail, Chile, Paraguay and Costa Rica).

Meanwhile in Lima, the tournament opened with Peru vs Bolivia. As I was eating dinner in the centre of town, my friends Cintia and Jackie came by to inform me that they were going out drinking to celebrate the fact that "Peru's going to win the championship", cheerily disregarding the fact that at half time an unconvincing Peru was 0-1 behind a Bolivian side hanging back but dangerous on the counter attack.

10 minutes into the second half, there was despair at my house as Bolivia went 2-0 into the lead, managing a bizarre goal when the Peruvian keeper Oscar Ibanez strolled out to collect a ball rolling towards the goaline, only to see the chasing Bolivian left back nudge the ball past him and shoot into the unguarded net from an oblique angle. While Hugo sat resigned and impassive, Lisbet hurled threats and curses at the television - "Imbéciles!; Inútiles!; don't you have any strength?; can't you take a shot?" - demanded the substitution of the entire Peruvian forward line and midfield, and announced that it was all typical as no Peruvian would ever amount to anything...

As the half wore on, Peru poured forward, as the entire Bolivian team seemed to have decided to defend from their penalty area; eventually a penalty was won and converted - 2-1. Before and after this moment Peru managed to squander about a dozen clear-cut chances, leading to much hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth from the audience in front of the TV, waking and upsetting 3 year-old Gerardo and the kitten. Finally, all manner of shots from six yards having been blasted over, midfielder Roberto Palacios twisted on the edge of the area and fired in a stunning volley to level the score. There was still eight minutes or so for Peru to miss several more opportunities to win and for the terrifying prospect to hover that Bolivia would break away and notch a third goal - but in the end it stayed at 2-2.

The post-match mood was one of relief and reflection - a feeling that Peru had got out of jail combined with the sense that they really should have won by four or five. At least, in the easiest of groups, their hopes are still well alive, and there's the example of Portugal - who lost their opening game as hosts and still made the final. Hope springs eternal...