Watching a ‘Live’ Soccer Match,
Is one hell of an experience.

Too bad,
It was possibly the last time @ Kallang Stadium,
Where a competitive match will be played before the new Sports Hub will take it’s place.

It’s nice to be part of history,
Got to be there.
Die, Die also have to be there.

Thanks to my classmate who bought us the tickets,
About half the SW class joined the 55000 strong crowd,
To watch Singapore take on Thailand.

Keropok,
Coke - PLENTY of Ice Cubes, very little Coke,
$1 curry puff,
Yes,
It feels a little like the nostalgic 1970s, 1980s,
Ok…maybe also the hey-days of 1990s Malaysia Cup era.

People arriving at the stadium without tickets,
People already at the stadium with plenty of tickets to sell.
People ever so willing to pay for black market prices to watch and not stay disappointed.

It took a little more time,
Friends, Family,
Students, Working Professionals,
Strangers,
Some ang-moh here and there,
Singaporeans in general,
Packed the stadium to capacity by 815pm.

Stomping of the feets awaits,
The in-coming Kallang wave that went round,
Confetti everywhere.
The ‘Referee Kayu’,
The many ‘Bu Toe’,
The ‘Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole’,
The atmosphere was fantastic.

The match lived up to the hype,
Cagey affair at times,
Not to mention,
The Thai players did their best to fall down every 5 –10 minutes,
Trying to put the Lions off,
Giving the referee plenty of hard work to control the match.

And the drama is completed,
During the 80 plus minutes,
When Singapore was awarded a penalty,
All the Thai players walked off the pitch,
Refusing to continue play – disagreeing with the referee’s decision.

Everyone in the stands were impatient,
Shouting, Cursing,
While the Singapore team could even pass around the ball,
The Thai opponents choosing to delay play,
Until 15 minutes or so later,
Returning to the field again.

2-1 the Final Score,
Good result to end the evening of drama.

Well,
We sing our hearts out (national anthem singing also can cork up)
We lost our voice (momentarily or semi-permanent)
We broke every possible traffic rules (jay-walking across road dividers included)
Making our way home was like doing an obstacles course with 55000 other people.
Motorcycles, Cars, Pedestrians,
Traffic at standstill.

The only irony was that the Singapore supporters in Red,
Looks like we are rooting for the Thais,
Who wore red on this night!

But,
Let say it again.

It was one hell of an experience!

& sadly,
the S-league is not anywhere close…