Universitario de Deportes v Cienciano, Lima, Peru

The first game of my February trip to Peru was the match between Universitario de Deportes and Cienciano at the Estadio Monumental in Lima. The match was round three of the 25/26 Peruvian League season. Universitario is one of the big three teams in Lima along with Allianza and Sporting Cristal and is also the most successful team in Peru with 28 titles.

It was an entertaining match with La ‘U’ eventually prevailing 3-2. The stadium is unique in that it holds 20,000 seats within the ‘Palcos’ (VIP boxes). The stadium is set in a scenic location with a low mountain ridge in the backgound and is one of the most impressive stadiums I have visited in South America.

For this game I chose to go with Lima Futbol Tours, a football tour company that offers trips to the main teams in Lima. I think this one would be difficult to do on your own unless you live in Lima and have experience of going to matches.

Match Facts

How to buy tickets for Universitario de Deportes

My ticket was provided for me as part of the tour. I did have a brief look for tickets but it didnt seem obvious how to buy them - there was nothing listed on the Joinus platform which I used to buy tickets for other teams in Peru.

How to get to Estadio Monumental de la UNSA

The stadium is located in the Ate district on the Eastern edge of Lima around 10 km from Miraflores which is another reason for going with the tour. I think it would be difficult to find your way back, especially at night. Everyone I spoke to in Lima advised me not to go on my own to any match so I took this advice on board

Intensity Level - Medium

The intensity level for games in Lima is higher than games outside the city. Although it felt relaxed throughout, it’s best to go with a guide. The security was strict at this game and my guide Carlo had his flag confiscated!

Lima - key locations (Centre and Stadium)

Lima - key locations 2 (Miraflores)

Tips for visiting the Estadio Monumental

• Don't wear a belt - the security will confiscate it! (Wear tight-fitting jeans or shorts!)

• Get there early, the traffic is intense (with the tour we arrived around 2 hours before kick-off)

• Leave the match sharpish to beat the traffic

• Don't go on your own

  
  

Where to buy the club shirt?

The Marathon Sports stores in Lima were good for buying shirts, in particular the one in Jiron de la Union in the city centre. I purchased a Universitario shirt here for around SOL 149. They also had some great bargains for other Peruvian sides, the cheapest I found in Lima. Also there's a great small store in the centre of Miraflores that sells Retro shirts called Retro FC. I picked up a couple of Universirario retro shirts here for SOL 89 (around £18)