Tag: Football

Two World Cup Matches in a Week the Experience of a Lifetime

What does one do when presented with not one — but two — once-in-a-lifetime opportunities in the same week? You take advantage of them both, of course!

For a football fan like Declan, Atlanta hosting World Cup games is like having your favorite singer perform in your living room. Once we determined a match would be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (take that, FIFA!) on his 22nd birthday, it was a no-brainer that we would attend.

Yes, the ticket price for the three of us (me, Declan and his girlfriend) was more than we wanted to pay, but what part of once-in-a-lifetime don’t you understand? Marilynn’s not the football fanatic Declan and I are, so she stayed at home.

Declan found tickets in the lower bowl for Uzbekistan vs DR Congo that weren’t bad price-wise. Looking closer to the match, I saw single tickets going for nearly the price I’d paid for three of them, so Declan, indeed, found a deal.

We hit MARTA almost three hours before the match, anxious to take in the FanFest for ticketholders. However, the excessive heat caused us to quickly change plans, entering the stadium much earlier than we’d planned. The concourses thronged with people, many of them apparently there for fear of missing out on the spectacle. I saw lots of people taking selfies in the middle of the concourse, taking pictures of other people taking pictures and generally being there for the sake of being there.

Fortunately, the folks around us were ardent fans on both sides. There was a guy dressed like an Uzbekistan cleric a row behind us, and the man sitting next to us was a loud and proud Congo fan. A special shout-out to the Uzbekistan fans behind us who bought Declan a drink to celebrate his birthday.

While we were definitely neutrals in this match between the bottom two teams in the group, the chance to advance to the knockout round was on the line, and both teams were lively, with Uzbekistan scoring early on a looping shot that the goalkeeper could only watch nestle into the top right corner of the goal. Congo later put the ball into the net, but it was disallowed on what I think is a questionable VAR call (I just watched the highlights). But Congo came roaring back, equalizing on a penalty before going ahead in the 78th minute and adding another in second-half stoppage time.

Declan called it one of the best days of his life, being a small part of the larger world as it stopped by for a visit.

‘We’re Playing for England … En–ger-land!’

Sometime during the match, I discovered that England — Declan’s favorite national team — would play the winner of this match four days later at the Benz. After asking Marilynn for permission to spend way more money than is wise, we bought two tickets for that match, a further father/son bonding experience.

Declan is quite the fan. Three summers ago, he and I flew from Belfast to Manchester to watch England stomp North Macedonia in a Euro 2024 qualifying match. We were there for less than 24 hours before joining Marilynn in Germany. Four Arsenal players are on the England team, including Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, his favorite player (we have a cat named Bukayo).

The day before the England match, my good friend Kevin wrote to ask if it was a crazy idea to attend the match on Wednesday. “We already have tickets,” was my reply, so he bought a ticket close by and was able to sit next to us during the match.

Watching the World Cup as a neutral is a much different experience than having fanatic skin in the game, especially when England goes down a goal in the 7th minute.

Both sides had good chances, and the Congo goalkeeper was particularly spry, making several great saves to keep the Three Lions out. Late in the first half, there was a potential penalty when the goalkeeper appeared to trip up England Captain Harry Kane in the 18-yard box, but the ref waved it away and VAR declined to intervene. However, people in the stands booed loudly, and pundits on TV agreed with us. Alas, that’s how the football bounced.

England got its revenge in the 75th minute when Kane scored to tie the match at 1-1. He also scored the winning goal 10 minutes later to put the Three Lions on top for good.

Declan brought his England flag and waved it proudly all through the match, and I think Kevin enjoyed the game, too.

And while I’m happy that England won, I’m ecstatic that I was able to share this experience with my son and a good friend.

Arsenal Fans on the Road to League Title

Planning for this five-week adventure paid no heed to the English Premier League nor the Champions League schedules, both of which concluded while we have been out of the country. However, Marilynn graciously indulged my Arsenal passion as they lifted the PL trophy and came ever-so-close to winning the Champions League, comprised of the best football teams in Europe.

Arsenal 1, Burnley 0 (River Bar, Dublin)

Arsenal played the day we arrived, taking on already-relegated Burnley. If Arsenal won its last two games, it would top the league, simple as that. If the second-place team, Manchester City, faltered in any way, the title could be wrapped up sooner.

After we settled into our hotel, had a quick nap and ate in the hotel restaurant, Marilynn and I donned our Arsenal jerseys and braved the rain to walk to the River Bar, the official Gooner pub in Dublin. Don’t ask me what the bar is like, because I have no idea. I spotted an Arsenal fan taking a smoke break outside, pointed to my jersey and made the universal shrug that means “where’s the match?” He pointed downstairs, an area just inside the front door.

We quickly made our way downstairs to see about 150 Arsenal fans in an expansive basement area with two large televisions and several smaller ones showing the match. Even though we arrived before game time, every seat was already taken, with fans chanting and ready for a good time.

We erupted into deafening cheers when Kai Havertz headed home the winner from a Bukayo Saka corner late in the first half.

Given our degree of jet lag, we walked home during the half, and I watched the second half from the hotel. I’m sure the crowd groaned when Havertz received a yellow card for a high boot challenge on a Burnley player, an offense the replay official watched endlessly before determining that was sufficient punishment. A red car would have meant the team would have to play the remainder of the match without Havertz.

Bournemouth 1, Man City 1 (The Old Stand, Dublin)

Arsenal fans celebrate at The Old Stand

The following evening, Manchester City took on Bournemouth, a mid-table team vying to play European football next season (in other words, no pushover). The study abroad group was enjoying the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl. I was, too, but I’ll admit to wearing my Arsenal jersey for a second day and checking my phone every five minutes. A Man City tie or loss would mean that Arsenal had won the title.

I cheered quietly when Bournemouth scored, then held my breath as the game ticked into second-half stoppage time. Man City tied the match during extra time, which ratcheted up my emotions. My phone indicated time left when I stepped into The Old Stand, which has been open in the same location for 350 years. Cheers erupted — not for me entering the pub, but from a group of Arsenal fans who were in the pub. The pub was airing another football match, but coverage was interrupted to show fans outside the Arsenal stadium in London cheering wildly, as Man City’s tie meant that Arsenal had won the Premier League!

An Púcán in Galway features a huge outdoor viewing area.

Crystal Palace 1, Arsenal 2 (An Púcán, Galway)

By the final day of the Premier League season, Marilynn and I had relocated to Galway, where she would spend a week in the University of Galway library doing research. We checked into our accommodation, student housing (i.e., a really, really tiny dorm room designed for one), and made a beeline for the city center, where we watched the match at An Púcán, a local sports bar with a huge outdoor patio where the match was being shown.

Although Arsenal had already won the league, the final day is a chance to see the team lift the trophy and generally celebrate. And since it’d been 22 years between titles, there was a lot to celebrate.

Unfortunately, there were no tables available on the patio, but we did manage to snag a two-top inside thanks to Steve, the guy who had reserved the table starting at 6 p.m. No one was sitting there because of the reserved sign, but the match would be over by the time Steve needed his table. Sweet!

The mussels we shared were superb, and the mains we had later were equally fine. The only disappointment was the men’s toilets, which I described in my Google review as “wild animals fornicating in a dung heap on top of a landfill.” I used the disabled toilet or the patio toilets from that point on. I should also note that the pub responded promptly to my review, and the second time we visited during our trip (the food was that good), the men’s room was MUCH improved — so thanks, guys.

We moved to the outdoor area for the trophy lift. Someone had been to the London Arsenal store and bought champions jerseys that several friends were wearing. It took seemingly forever before the ceremony, all the better to cheer and chat with fellow fans. I somehow got in the middle of the celebrations, which weren’t quite to my comfort level, but a terrific time was had by all.

Subdued crowd at the Irish Arms, but at least the food was good!

Champions League Final: PSG 1, Arsenal 1 (4–3 penalties)

The following Saturday found us in Lisdoonvarna, in the west of Ireland. We were spending the weekend with friends from Atlanta who happened to overlap with us. Marilynn and I took a bus from Galway to Lisdoonvarna, settling into our accommodation at the Rathbaun Hotel just before lunch.

I was looking for someplace to watch the match, but the options appeared limited. Yes, it was slightly before peak tourism season, but Lisdoonvarna seemed like a town that progress forgot. Many rooming houses were closed or didn’t serve people not staying there.

Locally processed cold salmon was especially tasty.

Fortunately, we had a great lunch at the Irish Arms, a short walk from our hotel. The cold, locally smoked salmon I had was delicious, and Marilynn liked her soup. I was wearing my jersey, of course, and the barman offered to reserve us a table for the match a few hours later.

Not surprisingly, the crowd was small — us and three ladies vacationing from London at another table and a handful of local blokes who huddled around the bar to watch the match. We did our best to urge the team on, but a second-half penalty and many missed chances led to extra time and then a penalty shoot-out that Arsenal lost. It was a disappointing end to the Champions League campaign, but a successful season overall.