Today I went to the stadium for the first time in several years with a friend and his nephew. We took along a radio and a portable TV so we could hear the commentary while the game was going on. We also took two umbrellas, because of an eminent threat of rain.

I was pleased at the respectful silence the spectators gave the Panamanian national anthem. There were about 20 Panamanians in the stadium, dressed in red, and huddled together on the south end of the stadium. In contrast, thousands of Catrachos filled every available space in blue and white.

The first half was stressful, mostly because Panama was playing better although fortunately no goals were scored. Honduras has a great goal keeper in Noel Valladares. A guy next to us must have drunk 10 beers or so, and started erupting in lava flows of insults, the tamest of which would burn a sailor’s ears. My friend’s nephew stared at him, wide eyed every time he spouted his bile. The same guy smoked 3 or 4 cigarettes as well.

The game was uneventful, except for a fault which granted Honduras a free kick, that was deflected by the goalie, was returned, only to hit the post, was returned again, hit the post again, and finally went in! The stadium exploded in noise.

Later on, though, it started raining, and the game slowed down to a trickle, which continued for the rest of the 90 minutes. When the referee blew his final whistle, there was little steam left in the players, and most of the spectators just stood there. No one celebrated Honduras’s victory, which was strange, we were expecting more action, I guess.

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