Sweden vs. Trinidad & Tobago (2 weeks later)

Ok, so this post is a wee bit late...no excuse but laziness and busy-ness. Moving on...F and I went to see this match on the 2nd day of the WC/WM. When we arrived at the stadium, we were swept up in a sea of blue and yellow (shirts, hats, wigs, flags, etc.).

There were also large spots of red/black/white (for Trinidad & Tobago) which I was so impressed by - these folks travelled so far to get here to cheer on their team. Unbelievable.

We were prepared with all kinds of documentation: passports, residence permit (for me), and of course, tickets. Expecting to be delayed getting in to the stadium, we were thoroughly surprised (and pleased and relieved) to breeze right in - no frisking, no ID checks. There was a brief bag check (for me), and then we were sent on the next set of turnstiles. The smiling WC employee took the tickets, held them up to the infrared scanner on the turnstile, and - beep! - let us through. Then it was off to find our seats...in the last row of the stadium. Totally unobstructed view, even though I could not tell who was who down on the pitch.

It was an exciting game - ended in a draw, with no points scored - and the Trinidadians were ecstatic. Even though they didn't score, the fact that they held off Sweden from scoring was a big accomplishment. Many of the Swedes who had come in like gangbusters were looking quite glum, slumped in their seats, heads in their hands. However, there were many moments of camraderie on the long walk back to the parking lot - Swedes congratulating the Trinidadians on the match, shaking hands. As the WC/WM slogan says, this is "A time to make friends, say no to racism."