I leave the party I was at and enter the cab and say to the driver: "Football!" He knew where to take us.
We file into the FC Barcelona stadium at Access 19 yesterday at 10pm. The stadium is like nothing I have ever seen, holds 100,000 people and huge. The 20,000 fans that came out for this late game made the stadium look empty. Since this was just a small Spanish Cup qualifying game, we were able to get tickets in the 3rd row, behind about 15 ten year old school boys and future soccer hooligans. After I call the tank to rub in the fact that we have 3rd row tickets, I ask the kids in Spanish what time they have school tomorrow.
FC Barcelona was playing CF Badalona, an inferior team and since FC was a heavy favorite some of the best players were rested. We only catch a glimpse of Ronaldinho’s bad hair from the sidelines. Despite that, we were treated to an amazing game.
After some good back and fourth, about 20 minutes into the first half a nice corner kick to Gio ( at 23 mins) and GOAL! FC up 1-0. Then just about 10 minutes later Ezquerro ( at 39 mins) scores another on a nice bounce back. 2-0 at the half.
The kids start to torment the referee. I yell at them in Spanish to show some respect and one kid turns around and says that the ref is blind and deserves it. My Spanish is not good enough to counter. Remi from the Netherlands informs me that the ref was not blind and it was not offside. (We go into a long discussion of the rules of soccer, friendly match vs international play rules.)
I run and get a hot dog for Richard and I and in my bad Spanish I attempt to obtain peanuts for Richard’s wife. (She actually got salted corn nuts.) The Spanish put ketchup, mustard, spices and grilled onions on a hot dog. Rock on.
As the game was winding down, I still held to my pregame prediction of a 3-0 FC win. Remi had predicted 5-0. Towards the end of play in the second half Saviola scored on a great direct kick (78 mins) and then just 5 minutes later he kicked, was blocked and then kicked again for his second goal of the night (83 mins) and was then soon subbed out to rest with a 4-0 lead. (Thankfully he was subbed out since I did not want Remi to win our wadger, I said 3-0 and he said 5-0, so it was directly in the middle.)
As midnight approaches, the kids parents wise up and decide that it is time to take the boys home so they can sleep and go to school.
We leave after the 90 minutes and the metros in Barcelona close at midnight so we have to walk 30 minutes to a Hilton hotel to catch a cab home. A great and memorable night.
Posted by Steve, Live! from Barcelona.