Or: Futbol! Football with London's Chilean fans
A Chilean flag was being merrily waved as I arrived at El Vergel to watch Brazil -v- Chile with Chilean fans.
The flag was soon tucked away, never to be seen again. The restaurant had long tables, all surrounded by folk eating empanadas and other Latin American fare.
It felt like a family occasion, almost like an episode of Brothers & Sisters. Hermanos y Hermanas, probably.
And just like Brothers & Sisters, the room had a matriarch, a game old lady who led the crowd in a chant of Viva Chile! Chile! Chile! She was banging on the table minutes later, and then the rabble rouser had everyone singing something that sounded like Pablo Chile-o!
But also like Brothers & Sisters, there was drama, with Chile attempting and failing to score, and ultimately, tragedy as Chile conceded three goals and crashed out of World Cup 2010.
Next: Football fatigue has kicked in, so it'll probably be a week until my next match for whoever it is in a semi-final.
0 comments:
Post a Comment