The opening of the new 45,000-seater Omnilife Stadium in Guadalajara had it all: fireworks, a lavish show, traffic congestion and, oh yes, a lively game of soccer between Chivas and England's Manchester United.
Chivas owner Jorge Vergara had taken seven years and spent two billion pesos to build his modernistic, French-designed stadium and was not going to open it without a splash.
But the razzamatazz was eclipsed by one man: Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, the 22-year-old player Chivas sold to Manchester United in April.
Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson allowed Chicharito to play for his old club for the first half – to say goodbye to his adoring hometown fans before starting his new career in Europe. Prior to the game Ferguson had said jokingly that his new signing "had better not score against us or I might not select him again."
That's exactly what Hernandez did – within just nine minutes of the kickoff!
In a sublime play, he rifled a powerful shot from 20 yards out into the bottom corner of the net, leaving the United goalie scrambling in thin air (see photo).
At the post-game press conference, Ferguson heaped praise on Chicharito. "It was a good strike," he said. "I think he has a great future."
Although Man Utd tied the game within two minutes with a headed goal from Chris Smalling, Chivas were the better team throughout the encounter, played on the stadium's state-of-the-art synthetic pitch.
Chivas' striker "Bofo" Bautista scored a second six minutes before half-time. The striker went over to the touchline, kissed his right boot and launched it into the crowd in celebration. (Mexico's most eccentric player also wears a single red glove during games and has never fully explained the reason.)
Chicharito donned Man Utd colors for the second half but to no avail. Chivas increased their lead thanks to a powerful Hector Reynoso header from a corner, before Portuguese star Nani netted in the last ten minutes to make the final score 3-2 and give the home team a winning start in their new stadium.
Said Ferguson: "Chivas played very well. They were very aggressive and first to the ball. They unsettled us and deserved to win."
Much of the pre-game focus had been on whether the stadium's insufficient traffic access would be up to the task of handling 45,000 spectators arriving and departing at once. Many fans who did not heed warnings and arrive early were unable to find spaces in the parking lot and were forced to leave their vehicles on the access roads and the periferico (city beltway). Vergara knows that more will need to be done in this area if he is to fill his world-class stadium for every Chivas regular season game.
The Manchester United coach bringing players and coaching staff to the stadium became snared in dense traffic on the beltway. The team arrived late, despite efforts by hyperactive cops to clear a path for the bus. The game also started 40 minutes late.
SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE PHOTOGRAPHS by Mike Rojas
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