I never knew I could be this excited after watching a football match but I guess I am because the team I was supporting won by a decent two-point margin. How thrilling.
The last time I was formally on a football field and not just crossing over the field was during my final year in high school. This may sound ludicrous because a number of international football games have been played in my state and every single time, I was just too lazy to go. This laziness stemmed from the point that there would be so many people there and anything could go sideways so why not just avoid the avoidable?
However, after so much persuasion and reminders from my male coursemate, I decided to actually visit the field. The match today was between the coursemates in higher levels and those in the lower one. This is why I had really high expectations for this game because more muscular and well-built guys were the ones supposed to be representing us; although both teams were from the same department.
As a department, the ratio of females to males is about 50:6 but I was surprised to see quite a number of males at the field when I arrived. The sun was really scorching and I wondered how guys happily play soccer in such high sun. Either way, I found the nearest available shade and took cover.
For the first half of the game, I was in an online meeting that required my absolute attention. So I plugged my earpods in and I wasn't really concentrating on the match. However, during the second half, the players got my full attention. This was when I realized that I actually knew a few things about soccer–like what should be a penalty, number of players and the fact that goal posts are switched during the second half of the game–and this surprised even me.
The goalkeeper from the opposing team was devastated after our first goal.
The game soon came to an end and it was time to go. I finished up the ice cream a friend bought for me and headed on my merry way home.
But before I forget, I caught sight of two captivating things. First, a statue of a footballer kicking a ball mid air. I think this kick has a name but I really cannot remember the name. @kingsleyy a little help please.
Second, this really beautiful tree with two colours. From afar, it felt like the sun was the one creating the yellow effect on the green leaves but on closer examination, the leaves were naturally yellow. I don't know if they are wilting but if they are, the wilt looks really appealing.
The score line for today's game was 5–3 with the seniors taking the lead… as it should be. I was absolutely thrilled by this score line because the last time we had a similar friendly match with students from another college, we lost to them; on our own field. That day was a really embarrassing one for the department. Good thing they made up for it today.
I'm no professional but I think the players' performance today was a bit shabby and haphazard. Some players were running around mindlessly, some didn't have firm control over the ball and a few others just looked too exhausted a few minutes into the game. Overall, the players were okay.
I’m not a staunch soccer game lover but I had an unimaginable amount of fun today during the game. The best part? The crowd was bearable. By bearable, I mean I was able to sit a few meters away from the rest of the people all through the game with no form of disturbance. Bliss.
Images are mine