Hecha la madre - Tolima 2 - Independiente 2

Last night's game was super exciting, much more enjoyable than the first game I went to and was supremely overwhelmed by.

sunset from the stadium

There was a riot before the teams even took the field, and the police and SWAT teams fled from the stands on the North end of the field - the section where people bring banners the size of 18 wheelers and play drums and jump up and down literally for 90 minutes. Apparently there are doors to the field that were open, and some fans slipped through the doors, and were subsequently beaten by police batons when they refused to go back to the stands. The fans in that section seem to be very protective of their own, and started swarming/attacking the police that were in the stands. I saw one police man being taken to the ambulance by a paramedic (though he was walking, and should be fine, no worries).

I was at the game with Amalia, Armando, and 2 former apprentices of Armando (who is an agricultural engineer working with rice), who are rather dashing, chivalrous, and charming Colombianos. 25 & 26, and athletes (one is the captain of the olympic water polo team, like I mentioned in the Engineer's Halloween Party post). It was very fun to watch the game with them - I actually felt my age for the first time since coming to Ibagué!

Appart from that off the field drama, the game was intense. Independiente is a team from Buenos Aires, with 15 international titles (Tolima has none, to put that in perspective). Tolima looked rather nervous at the start, and I thought we might be in over our heads. After about 10 minutes they pulled it together, and were playing with a bit more control. The ref called a penalty for Independiente, though, which I must admit was a very sketchy call, and they scored to lead 1-0. Very soon after the Independiente defensemen took one of our star players out with a clothesline in the box, and the ref gave us an indirect kick (what the heck - I joined the crowd in chanting "Picaro!" which means thief). The kick was deflected, and our star striker Wilder Medina flicked it in while facing away from the goal with the side of his foot - glorious goal, and quite the celebration... I got a rough hug and a shake from Cristian and Nelson grabbed my arm and shook it violently (the ex-apprentices).

When a goal is scored (and any other exciting moment, when the team takes the field, etc.), people throw rolls of cash register paper. When the rolls are thrown, they unravel mid-air, and the effect is like that of streamers. I always wonder, when I receive a dirty receipt - was this paper thrown at a Tolima game, recollected, re-rolled, reused to print my purchase details?

The second half was tense and filled with very promising opportunities in front of their goal, but Tolima couldn't capitalize. We had a free kick right outside of the box and our Argentinian player, famous for his free kicks, curved it up and over the wall and into the upper right corner. Beauty. About 5 minutes later, though, the other team, with better spacing and movement, brought the ball up the wing and chipped it in to two strikers, one headed it to the other who headed it to the net. Goal. 2-2. And that was the game.

There was a rather intoxicated man who was swigging aguardiente (locally made liquor that tastes like black licorice) who was taking pictures of everything all game long. After the game, everyone stood up, and he remained sitting (sleeping), swaying rather dramatically back and forth. He swayed backwards and overcompensated, and fell face first into the stand below him (concrete), rolled onto his back and passed out. Awful. Cristian, my sweetie pie new friend, went to help him up, since all of his friends were just laughing at him. Yikes. I had nightmares about that fall.

Tonight to Espinal to watch Armando, Cristian, Nelson, and the Fedarroz team play in their league! I have been elected cheerleader... I tell them I don't cheer, I play, but they just tease me about getting me in a mini-skirt. HA! In your dreams boys!

post-goal state of the field