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Today is the big day: for the first time in my life I will be watching two top-level football matches on the same day. In fact, I also believe that the last time I watched two football matches on the same day was in my high school days. We start with Japan-Costarica, in the same stadium as Wales-Iran. I leave the residence later than expected: to confirm how late I am at the metro station, I hardly see anyone with symbols of the two teams, will they all be there already? Upon arrival, I will see someone, especially from Japan. Already during the journey I seriously fear seeing the match started, when I arrive and see the queue to enter the fear becomes almost a certainty. Instead the queue flows more rapidly: although it was longer it takes me the same time as the day before yesterday, perhaps slightly less. At the check they still make me open all the compartments of my backpack (despite having x-rayed it), but they don't take anything out, let alone touch the magazines.
They are on the opposite side compared to two days ago, slightly closer to the entrance, and in the second deck (they are low decks, don't think of those of San Siro stadium in Milan). I don't see a corner flag as it is covered by a TV stand, but I won't miss anything: there won't be any corners from there. I get inside at 12.54 when the anthems are about to play: I sit in the first available seat and then, after the anthems, I go to my seat. The Japanese anthem is played first, but you don't hear it sung, even if the Japanese fans are a clear majority (and no, it's not without lyrics, I checked), then the Costa Rican anthem, and you hear it sung, the finale very loud.
To my left is a Frenchman who also occupies a good part of my seat, to my right a very passionate Japanese fan, with two flags in her hair: when she yells loudly she puts her hand to her mouth,or apologizes. I tell her not to worry: it's normal for a fan to scream! She always looks at her cell phone, I think he takes selfies all the time. I also notice that in my row I am the one who looks at his mobile the least (which is not common). I have a lot of time to observe my neighbors (and also my cell phone) because absolutely nothing happens on the pitch: in the whole first half, two unsuccessful crosses and a pushed back shot back Japan, a shot wide for Costa Rica. This is confirmed by the statistics for the first half: 0 shots on goal. I fervently hoped that Japan would score to see my neighbour's reaction.
At halftime I talk to the neighbour (in the picture) and I find out that she is actually a Filipina. She tells me that she loves Japanese culture very much. Also at the exit you will see many fans of Japan who do not look like Japanese, I will also meet an Italian family where the daughters had the colors of Costa Rica, the father of Japan (the mother none).
In the second half Japan starts strong and already after a minute challenges Navas (the only player of the two teams that I am able to recognize, also for his position). They almost always attack, but with poor results: towards half the time they have two free-kicks from the edge, but one ends up wide, the other on the wall. 10' from the end, a Costa Rican (whose name, I'll discover later, is Fuller) receives the ball on the edge of the area and overtakes the goalkeeper with a lob. The Costa Ricans make themselves heard, the Japanese remain silent for the rest of the game: it will be the Central Americans (if I understand correctly) who ironically shout "Nippon". In additional time the Asians have two chances, the best of the match, but it ends 1-0. At the exit, I meet a group of Costa Ricans who are singing mocking chants towards the Japanese: "Where are the Japanese? They went to... (a word I didn't understand)
I stop to eat at the mall, then I come back after a long walk to get to the subway: it would be opposite, but they force you to take it from the side of the stadium. I go out again around 7.15pm : the idea was to stop at the FIFA Fan Festival, maybe eat (but I'm not hungry) and then take the shuttle to the stadium. However, I'm late because the taxi finds traffic: so I decide to stop at the festival, but I can't find the buses at the start and I'm forced to get in, get out again and walk a long way. Qataris are specialists in making you take very long routes to places that are just a few meters away as the crow flies: I had already noticed this three years ago. I'm seriously afraid I won't make it by the start of the game.
At the end I take the bus around 8.30: it's almost empty, there were very few left to take it. On the screen it shows that we expects to arrive around 9.15, so I think I should make it, maybe by little. We arrive around 9.20 and the stadium can be seen nearby, so I think it's done. Even here, however, the distance as the crow flies is one thing, the one to actually do is another: to enter you will have to go almost half a round around the stadium. Stadium that has the shape of a Bedouin tent: from the outside it looks more like a fair than a stadium, from the inside it's very beautiful, but it always gives that impression. The checks go fast, I hope to get in soon because I'm at gate 18, which if this stadium was like the others it would be close to the entrance. Instead it's completely on the opposite side, and the gates are also spaced out: I'm afraid I won't make it for the kickoff again. I'm still in the corridors when I hear play the German anthem. I don't hear sing it, but I try to sing it myself. The Spanish one, which no one can sing (it's without lyrics) has already been played.
I make it in just before kick-off. I am in the first row of the upper half of the first deck (out of three). The stadium is much bigger than the others (almost 69,000 are present, as they will announce in the second half) and completely full, even if the last ones will enter once the game has begun. In my row there are four fans of Germany and two of Spain, but none are from their respective countries: those on my left looked German, but they are Americans. Today's lesson is that to support a national team you don't necessarily have to be from that country. we, used to being represented in big events (but for Italy not so much anymore..), don't realize it, and fake news like the one about fake fans are spread. It's not clear which fans are more, also because the colors are similar, but those of Spain will be heard more.
Here we go: in the first half, Germany attacks to my side. An opportunity for each side in the first 10': shot deflected off the crossbar for Spain, counter-attack stopped by the goalkeeper, coming out for Germany. Shortly after half an hour Spain misses an incredible goal, but it was offside. In the 39th minute Rudiger scores with a header following the development of a free-kick: the German fans are exultant, but the Spaniards will feel much more excited when it is disallowed for offside after VAR. I don't move during the break, even though I'm close to the exit: so I don't have to make way in the line: the passage is narrow. They turn off the lights and tell us to turn on the cell phone flashlights, to give the impression of a starry sky. Play resume, and in the 17th minute Morata receives the ball in the small area and scores. Immediately after, Asensio misses the doubling. Germany attacks in a disorderly way, making mistakes by taking risks on the counterattack: you can hear some chorus of their fans, who until now had only made themselves heard after the disallowed goal. In the end they equalized with a substitute striker, who I had never heard of, named Fuellkrug.
It ends 1-1. At the exit, another round around the stadium to take the shuttle, which is not full this time either (there are more people going in other directions). I see a lot of people heading towards the parking lots, which means that most of the spectators were locals, unless they had rented cars. The bus finds traffic: we arrive at the Fan Festival around 2am.
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