Continued from yesterdays post on Watching the Suzuki Cup Philippines vs. Indonesia Semi-finals 2nd leg live. I want to add words to recount this crazy experience of taking pictures behind the pitch and waiting for the player to exit so we can convoy out with them, girls in cars beside the bus trying to get the players attention while smoking (Hmmmm… I wonder if that ever works with athletes? =P), and so much more!
But right now my eyes are closing so pictures will have to do. Sorry for any typos etc. it’s been a busy day so I’m knackered. Will add the words tomorrow! Goodnight to all ya Azkals Fans!
Wish the entire Philippines falls in love with footy already so we can build stadiums as awe inspiring as this one! Watching the game with our fellow Filipinos and cheering against the might of Indonesia 90,000 strong is one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life – I just got goosebumps thinking about it!
We wonder what the reaction would have been if they had lost. Would they still be clapping for us? We will not know but maybe in the near future when the Azkals face the Merah Putih again we will find out… I truly hope so!
The security detail leading us through parts of the stadium that I’ve never seen before and we hurried off so we could be by the bus waiting for our players once they’re ready to leave.
The picture on the right is the site when the game just ended. So far it was all clear but as minutes passed it was packed with Indonesians waiting to catch sight of the players. It was only that red gate separating us from them.
When the players excited there were some with serious faces sad from the defeat, some who tried to smile as we Filipinos clapped for them and some who even clapped with us. We were just so proud of our team!
We didn’t know the girl on the other side but everyone was just taking turns posing beside him and Neil (despite his sadness and disappointment on the loss) put his game face on and obliged the fans. (He was totally accosted by the Indonesian fans!) I didn’t even try to get another picture because I didn’t want to bother the players any more since they were super patient with me and I took so many pics with them already. (click here to see my pics with Neil, Phil, James, Aly, Anton, etc.!)
How cool that you’ve got to be on the back stage of the game! It’s so exciting! I hear you about eyes closing… I’ve been so sleepy at night, too… It’s challenging to manage the time for good sleep and blogging.
It was very exciting indeed Kaho! Haha I wish I had the same problem but I’ve insomnia. I try to wake up earlier so that I am super tired at night!