A Friendly Match

Tuesday evening some London friends and I bought tickets to attend the England/Ghana football (American soccer) match at Wembley Stadium. We decided to meet around 5:30 and eat since the match wasn't until 8. However, we still managed to be a little late. I've decided being late is a way of life for me in London. Distance travel and time are concepts I can't seem to fully grasp and understand here. The spring forward time change happens several weeks after the change at home and just took place on Sunday. It's nice to have another hour of sunlight in the evenings and it was breathtaking walking up to the already iconic stadium with the sun setting around it. Once in our seats we were able the enjoy the match. We were in a mixed crowd area in the nosebleed section but the view was good. I never quite understood the term "friendly" match. I knew it didn't count for points but I had no idea that people would be cheering both ways. One guy had his face painted with the Ghana flag on one side and the England flag on the other. Many people wore scarves with each team on different ends, cheering for whoever was doing best at the moment. So many Americans are such die hard fans of the team they support that even the "friendliest" of matches could get messy. However, the 80,000 plus fans in the stadium Tuesday night just seemed happy to be there enjoying a very pleasant atmosphere.

After a hard fight from both teams England managed to score in the last minutes of the first half. My heart was a little disheartened having chosen to pull for Ghana (quite obviously for those of you who know me well); however, the whole place roared - Ghana fans included. I couldn't help but feel and enjoy the excitement. The second half was a hard fight between both teams and some very close goals for both sides. With four minutes to spare many people started to leave in order to beat the crowds to the tube station. However, a friend suggested we test our chances and stick it out until the end of the game. Two minutes later Ghana player, Asamoah Gyan, kicked a tricky goal kick and by a stoke of luck the ball soared straight by the England goalie into the awaiting net below making the score England 1 Ghana 1. The whole place roared, Ghana flags were flown and dances were done. The game ended with a tie making both sides happy and friendlier than ever.

I must admit the thought of 80,000 celebrating fans rushing toward the same tube line was a little overwhelming when leaving the stadium but the area planners and traffic officials had done a wonderful job designing and leading the crowds and effectively getting people safely out of the area and to home sweet home. Granted, the ride was rather tight and several arm pits were unintentionally shoved into faces, bad breathe was smelled and some accidentally passed bodily gasses; but all can be expected when traveling at a busy time on public transport. Now that I've gotten my feet wet with European football, maybe I'm ready to brave a not so friendly local team game. Should the opportunity present itself I’d be hard pressed to turn it down. Pictures by Eastern Boy