El grupo de la Muerte

  Madrid, Spain
Friday, June 16, 2006

Being far away from our football-crazed home city of Buenos Aires in the midst of the World Cup is hard. There's nothing like watching the usually energetic streets all of a sudden go silent and bare when a soccer match featuring Argentina starts.

I find that here in Madrid, even thought Spanish people love football, the same passion Argentines have for the sport doesn't exist. For this reason, Ed and I decided to watch the Argentina-Serbia and Montenegro match at a downtown bar drinking beer and stomping on the tables to the sound of GOOOOOOL with fellow Argentines, which in this city suffice.

04 The DJ

Sofi had the smart idea of researching the Internet for bars in Madrid that would be a gathering point for Argentines during the World Cup, and we found one not too far away named Shooters. We got there just in time, seated ourselves comfortably at the bar, ordered our pints of beer, and observed the amount of fellow country men of all ages assembled in the pub.

Now, I am a person who does not usually watch soccer. I become a fiercely patriotic soccer fan only once every four years during the World Cup, watching all the games with my Dad. When we lived Singapore, due to the time difference, we would have to wake up at 3am to watch a game, and even though I was young, I begged my Dad to wake me up...and he did each time. We would both be watching the games in our pijamas and then back to sleep for a few more hours.

01 GOOOOL

The first Argentine goal was made at 6 minutes of the match. The bar roared with cheers and shouting and clapping. Argentina made 6 goals (7 if the idiot judge hadn't penalized Crespo) all of which were cheered louder and more fervently than the previous one. The game finished, and after our throats were soar from screaming and our hands red from clapping, we realized Argentina had just made the largest amount of goals so far in Germany 06.

07 Toasting for Argentina

Taking Spain down from the throne, we walked out to the street, Stephanie, Sofia, Ed and I, still cheering and chanting. Several pissed off Spanish people hushed us, but at the same time smiled as if saying "It's ok, we're just jealous cause you topped our 4 goals".

12 Maradona and the People

It was so energizing to watch the game in such an uproar that I actually felt a little homesick. But then thought about how great it is and will be to be an ambassador of my country in any city, town, village or field. That's why Ed and I walked out from the bar and went straight to buy Argentina shirts.