Rain just couldn’t do it. Maybe it just surrendered after almost ruining the 116th. Argentine Polo Open Championship, which obliged the AAP to delay the final for a week, not to mention the qualifying games, some of which were re-scheduled three times. Luckily, the rain just couldn’t do it against the historic match, the first 80 goals final ever in the world’s most important polo tournament, which saw La Dolfina beating Ellerstina 17-16, to take the Open cup back to their hometown, Cañuelas. As if that wasn’t enough, the match was even hotter than expected, having ended once again and for the fourth consecutive year, in an extra chukka! 

Having won the Open is an achievement which goes far and beyond for La Dolfina, after a year that was maybe the weakest since the team’s foundation, in 2000. But there was Lolo Castagnola saying to everybody who wanted to listen: “They thought we were dead, but we’re well, alive and kickin’!”. And for sure they were alive. They made an explosive comeback at Palermo, in the match against La Aguada to get their place in the final. In the final, La Dolfina did it again, led by a brilliant Adolfo Cambiaso, who scored 11 goals. After watching this performance, many were thinking about how good it would have been to see La Dolfina play like that during the whole Triple Crown. 

It was a very close match involving tight marking, with both teams coming and going from the goalposts most of the time. After a 2-2 score in the first chukka, the defending champions took the lead in the second period. With goals by Facundo and Gonzalito, both by penalty conversion (40 and 30, respectively), plus another from the field by Gonzalito, Ellerstina took a 5-3 lead. Adolfo Cambiaso scored for La Dolfina. 

But from the third chukka, the match became very tight and hard fought by both teams. That’s when the real Adolfo Cambiaso appeared and stepped up to the plate. He scored three goals and by the end of the third period the scoreboard read 7-7. Meanwhile, Facundo and Gonzalito scored for Ellerstina. 

La Dolfina took their first lead in the fourth chukka, 8-7 with a goal by Mariano Aguerre, who picked the ball up after a great play from Lucas Monteverde. With both teams exchanging goals during most of the chukka, they went into half time at 10-10. 

In the first minute of the fifth chukka, Pablo MacDonough put Ellerstina back in the lead 11-10. It was quickly answered by Lucas Monteverde and finally a long run from Gonzalito Pieres in the last thirty seconds of play ended the chukka with a 12-11 lead for Ellerstina. Then, by the end of the sixth chukka, scores were tied once again at 13-13. 

With only two chukkas left, the match had become very exciting, with an extremely tight score, with the prospect of an exciting finish to the match. As luck would have it, by the end of the seventh chukka, La Dolfina had taken the lead for the second time 15-14. 

Adrenaline was in the air when the last chukka began. Facundo Pieres converted a penalty from the spot to take things to 15-15. Facundo himself followed this with a 30 yards penalty conversion to put Ellerstina back in the lead 16-15. With only 30 seconds to go, many thought that the match was already decided, but a penalty from the spot was given to La Dolfina and Adolfo Cambiaso scored to send the match into an extra chukka. 

By this time, Palermo was hotter than hell, with the attendance cheering their respective teams in a final which, besides being a historic event, would end in over time for the fourth consecutive year. After the throw-in, Cambiaso picked up the ball, and ran fast towards the goalposts. It seemed that all was said and done, but always expect the unexpected: he failed to score! In the next play, Facundo Pieres picked the ball to go to the goalpost, but Cambiaso fell off his horse, and the match was stopped for a while. When the match resumes, the ball goes to Mariano Aguerre. It’s a goal. La Dolfina wins Palermo once again.