Yesterday, in a country where football is placed on a pedestal beyond any other sport, I caught the final match of the 2014 Champions League. The game started tense, lots of fast even fancy footwork but no penetration in the final third for either team, until Athletico scored just past the half hour mark and the Real goalkeeper had to shoulder much of the blame.
This match was special in 5 ways.
1. I got to watch it in Brazil. In fact, all my sense were activated. Here in my hotel room in Rio, I can hear the sound of waves crashing onto Copacanana beach outside as well as a view of the mountains that surround this city.
2. I got to watch the whole match, not bad considering I was scheduled to arrive here from São Paulo just 40 minutes before the scheduled start. There was simply no customs hold up nor traffic. We were truly fortunate. It's almost as if everything in the world conspired for me to make this :)
3. It's the last major match in world football, being played less than a month from the kickoff of the 2014 World Cup tournament, right here in Brazil; and the match itself featured players from countries who all fancy themselves a good shot to be crowned world champions: Spain, Brazil, Portugal...
4. It's one for the history books because for the first time, two teams from the same city made it to the very top of European club football (which remains the world's best for all the best players in the world yearned to be spotted and playing for (and of course ridiculously well paid by) a top European club
5. And last but certainly not least, it's a fantastically emotional match. After that first 'soft' goal, Real tried but could not break down Athletico's defence. In fact, after more than 90 minutes of play, Athletico was merely 90 seconds away from being European champions (completing a difficult to obtain double for they are already the Spanish Primera Liga winners this year), when Ramos scored, also with a header, to equalize and take the game into extra time. In extra time, Real Madrid scores three more times in 10 minutes and took home the trophy for the tenth time. The last time they did so, it was through one of the most balletic move by a virtuoso of this beautiful game, Zidane. He was there in the stands as part of the Real Madrid team but the night belong to all the 22 players on the pitch and their coaches.
It's just a game, I know. But nothing quite rouses the emotions, esp amongst us fans. This kiss from the captain (who was nearly to be a villainous zero had Real lost) to his compatriot who took the game into extra time truly says it all.
In keeping with the sports theme (Rio de Janeiro after all is known to be a runner's city with people running up and down its beaches all day and night) another sport is due to take place today. The F1 race this weekend is in Monaco and I hope to catch it on TV here in Ayrton Senna's country.
As a relative neutral (save for maybe Manchester United, and Fernando Alonso whichever team he drives for), I love sports (the spectator sort) simply because I get to enjoy the ecstasy of victory and occasionally suffer the agony of defeat. I remember I was asked to introduce myself at my first worldwide partner meeting and on my intro slide I was asked who my favorite sports team were, and in response I added, being a fan of a sports team allows one to participate in something larger than self. It's a philosophy we can all live by, and with the highs and lows that come with it, surely one that adds drama even meaning to our time here.
Photo credits: neogaf.com, marca.com
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