Day 19 - Game Day - Fra v Nig

Today is our Round of 16 game, France vs Nigeria, should be a good one. Do you know Phil? What is so special about this picture?

We have some extra tickets to sell, so we head out to the stadium early - but there are plenty of people out already.

We are walking distance (maybe 1 mile?) from the stadium. And we travel past the TV tower and the markets to get there. In the market, these kids were doing some gymnastics on the concrete - no mats/nets...

We also see these interesting/large ants (ok, maybe we are a bit too goofy)...

Unfortunately, there seems to be many more people selling extra tickets than people buying. And there are lots of cops around as well as (false?) rumors of undercover cops as well. Ivan does see some people being hauled off by the police; perhaps they were trying to make a profit? We sell an extra group of 4 tickets at half-price to a group of young guys (Phil and them walk away from the stadium and crowds to make the deal). And we decide to just eat the other tickets as we are not even sure if selling them for less than face value is legal (though we would prefer for fans to get), just not worth the risk.

Lots of fans and long lines to get into the stadium, but it goes pretty quickly and we are inside in no time. Lots of people everywhere and we have to find our entry gate. We get a long walk around the stadium to our section, but arrive in plenty of time for pre-game photos.

Our seats are fantastic, three rows from the field. The game was intense, as was the crowd - it is definitely the next level when you win or go home. We were lucky that both of the France goals (as well as the one called back on Nigeria) were scored on our end, right in front of us. If you looked in the crowd, you might have seen us as well?

And when the corner kicks were on our side, the players were close enough to reach out and touch.

It was a great game, great seats and great friends to share it with!

A quick trip back to the hotel to change into my Germany jersey. We walked through the nearby Brasilia 21 area, which was typically dead so far - but it was a happening place today, with live music and dancing.

Still, we had an idea of where to go near our hotel. Unfortunately, when we arrived there, it was packed (only limited seating). So we headed back towards Brasilia 21. However, it was getting near game time and people were tired of walking, so we hit a small place closer by (Phil noticed the game on from across the street). It was a fine place to watch Germany advance, the food was pretty decent - and really cheap for a change.