Historical?

Yesterday I went to the football match Romania - Albania with 6 of my closest friends.

Of course we got there half an hour before the start of the game and we had to trample on (and get trampled on) a crowd of fans to get some tickets (and of course we twice sat in the wrong line, finally getting tickets for the 1st stand, although we wanted to go to the 2nd one). Some were jumping over the fence, some were selling overpriced tickets...everyday Romania, what can I say?

We managed to buy tickets 5 minutes after the start of the game. We entered the complex and started running towards the stadium. After passing a couple of gates, we found out one of the two 1st stands was full, so we had to run another quarter-stadium to get to the second one. Finally getting there, we were checked (for weapons or other dangerous items?) and I was asked to leave a water bottle there. Of course I had two with me, so no harm done there. The trouble was the others had gone on without me, so for about a minute I had to guess the way they had taken, before finally finding them. We finally found 7 seats in a row in the corner of the stadium, put some paper on them (see, the Math notebook DOES help) and started watching the game, 10 minutes in.

I've nothing to say about the way the lads played. Wonderful! Half-time found Romania having a goal's advantage over Albania, and us on our feet, singing and shouting the team on. Absolutely wonderful! We were clearly dominating the game, creating lots of opportunities and calmly controlling the ball. Gabriel Tamas scored in about the 53'rd minute from a well-taken-torpedo-like-struck free kick, making it 2-0 for us. Waves begun by the fans started traveling along the stadium, most of them being stopped by the rich guys over at the 0 stand. The atmosphere was of elation and complete happiness. 10 Minutes later, Daniel Niculae managed to score the 3rd goal for Romania but a couple of minutes later, Albania put one in, the score then being 3-1. Just one minute later, Gigel Bucur sent a good pass to Niculae, who managed to score again for 4-1. Bogdan Lobont, the goalkeeper for the Romanian national team, managed some spectacular saves for which the fans repaid him by shouting his name when Romania was awarded a penalty in the end of the match, wanting him to take it. He didn't take it, but Ciprian Marica did, and he did it well, taking the score to 5-1 ('70). One minute later, another penalty was awarded for Romania, forcing the referee to give the second red card for Albania's team. The crowd once again shouted Lobont's name, but Dica took the penalty, setting the score as it would eventually be until the end, at 6-1 for Romania.

Everybody was singing, everybody was cheering, we were all completely satisfied with the result.

After the match was over, we stayed a couple more minutes to watch the fireworks that marked the Romanian qualification at the Euro 2008, but also the end of an era. An era in which "Lia Manoliu" was the national stadium for the Romanian team, an arena which I'm sure most of us will remember for a long time as a monument, maybe even as long as we live. The stadium is being demolished, the demolition symbolically starting at the end of the match. In it's place a new one will be built, much bigger and much more modern.

After the match, going out of the stadium, we kept on cheering the win and the qualification of our national team with much joy. At the end of the day, I can truly say it's been a very spectacular and special one, that I shall never forget for as long as I live, due to the win we managed, the qualification, the historical event of the demolition being started and the friends that were close to me. ROMANIA FTW!!!111!!oneone!!1!!