One of the highlights of my time in Medellin was going to my first proper men´s professional soccer match. It was an absolute blast. Atlético Nacional, the team in Medellin, just happened to be playing a match while I was there and several people from the hostel were going to the game, how could I refuse?
The atmosphere outside the stadium was great. Everyone was wearing green and black (the colors of the home team) and there was live music. After buying our souvenir hats and going through two security checkpoints, we finally made it into the stadium. Very few fans of any American sports team can compare to your average South American soccer fan. Everyone
seems to be a die hard fan and people are truly emotionally tied to their team. As soon as the teams came out and the match began, the true noise began. Several drums in unison, several different chants, firecrackers, cursing out the referees. It was quite the experience. At several points riot police had to use their shields to protect the side referee after he made calls against Atlético Nacional, but once they were too slow and he got pegged in the back of the head with a bag of water. Another time a player for Caldas actually got hit by a bag of water also, resulting in a slight d
elay in the action. In the end Atlético Nacional won the match 1-0.There are more pictures of the soccer match on my Picassa photo site: http://picasaweb.google.com
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