Fluminense’s 2-0 win against Olimpia in the Copa Libertadores last August 24th was my first experience at the Maracanã stadium. Every football lover should enjoy a game there and mine took 26 years, but I’ll never forget it.
Today (31st), Fluminense battles Olimpia again, this time at the Defensores Del Chaco, Paraguay, in order to advance to the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores. The trophy is their main goal this season.
My trip to Rio de Janeiro was a big surprise. The Daily Mail called me on Tuesday (22nd) and asked me to go there to write an article about Lucas Paquetá, his betting inquiry and the island that names him.
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There was no time to make plans. A few hours later I was already on a flight. Only in the evening I remembered about the Fluminense match at Maracanã, scheduled for Thursday at the same time that I should be going back to Maceió, in the Brazil Northeast.
I called a few friends but there were no tickets available. It took a while until one of them, Matheus Lessa, said that a member of his family was not going to the match and that he had saved the ticket for me.
I was already in Paquetá Island doing interviews when he told me the good news. I tried to book another flight while having lunch, but it proved a very difficult task, so I went on with the article and came back to Rio de Janeiro only at night, where I was able to book another day in the hotel and postpone my flight to Friday.
In Brazil, we say that someone that brings luck to a team — or to whatever — is a pé quente (“warm foot”, in open translation), which I also wanted to be. I went to a Fluminense store in a mall and bought myself this year’s shirt, with Germán Cano’s name on the back and all. I wanted to live the full Fluminense experience and also bring one to my big collection of football kits.
The next day, I wrote the article beautifully printed in the Mail’s Saturday edition and went to the match in the beginning of the evening. I know a few Fluminense fans and they were all very excited about going to the game, so they told me what I should do and even asked for videos.
The traditional Bar dos Esportes was my first stop, where the Tricolor fans gathered. They were chanting Vamos, Tricolores, chegou a hora, vamos ganhar a Libertadores (Let’s go, Tricolores, it’s the time, let’s win the Libertadores). It was a huge party on the streets. I was chilled and the feeling only got bigger as I walked into the stands, seeing Maracanã open wide.
The field, the grass, the players. Only a few are blessed into seeing something like it and I was one of them. I felt that Fluminense was going to win because everything seemed to go their way. Nobody stopped singing, and André and Germán Cano prompted the adrenaline into the ceiling with their goals.
Imparável! Que golaço do @Germancanoofi! Faz o LL ai! pic.twitter.com/zDmHQWYMhH
— Fluminense F.C. (@FluminenseFC) August 25, 2023
I also took a closer look at coach Fernando Diniz and how he behaved on the sidelines. This is the man starting to lead Brazil’s dream towards the 2026 World Cup. He did not stop, always giving command to his players.
When the game ended, the chants continued on the streets.
You can watch the video here.
