We're only a week and a half into our trip, and my friends and I have already crossed off multiple things on our Spain to-do list... the most important of which was going to a soccer game (partido de fรบtbal). I don't know all that much about soccer, and never really took that much interest in the sport until I arrived here. I watched a game or two of the World Cup this past summer, but I had a hard time watching the sport on television. I don't know very much about the leagues, the teams, the top players or the rules of the game, but I do know that I witnessed one of Spain's most renowned teams (FC Barcelona) get beat by a division II underdog (Real Betis). The atmosphere of the stadium was amazing; it was definitely something I'll never forget. We were seated in the 6th to last row, but that didn't make a difference to me because I wanted to observe the entire stadium, in addition to the game on the field. All the goals were made in the first half of the game, which made for an extremely loud and exciting start. Real Betis scored the first two goals, which went unanswered by FC Barcelona until 5 minutes left in the first half. The stadium fell silent when Barca scored, but the Real Betis fans immediately started cheering for their team again after the goal. With only 30 seconds left in the first half, Betis scored again which made the score 3-1, which ended up being the final score of the game. From what I have learned, Barcelona is currently one of the best teams in the world, so getting to watch them play for only 40 euro was a great deal. I'm not exactly sure if they had their first line players in for this game, but I'm told tickets to see FC Barcelona are normally between 130 and 200 euros. Our host mother Lourdes always talks about how she can't bear to watch soccer because it makes her so nervous. She is funny because she says she always closes her eyes when it looks like the other team is about to score. Watching futbal in person was one of the best experiences I think I'll have while in Spain. Futbal is ingrained in the Spanish culture, and I have already seen Spain's best team play (and get beat). I took a video so I can remember the cheers and songs of the Betis fans. Their cheering never ceased during the entire 45 minute halves. I also bought a scarf that has the emblem of both teams, and the date of the game. I will hang it in my room when I return home so I can remember watching one of the biggest upsets in soccer's history.
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