FUTBOL!!! Game 1

I've had a couple (MALE) friends visiting recently, and have consequently gone to my first futbol (soccer) games. Here's the report:

Game 1: Summer Tournament, Mar del Plata, Boca Jrs. vs. San Lorenzo

Thank god it was the first, or I would have bailed 10 minutes after arriving. Our summer days on the beach left us ill-prepared for the freezing winds that would whip us all night long. Friday night, we left the hotel at 1 a.m., no need for a jacket. Saturday found us curled up in fetal position, thinking a pho stand would be a hit in the stadium.

So, we froze, and there was no beer. We arrived at 8:30, as I understood the signs posted at the ticket sales to say that you must arrive by 8:30 to get in, and the game would start at 9. Oops. Whether or not that's what they actually said, no one was there by 9. Around 10:30, the stadium started to fill. At 11:15 the teams came out for the warm-up. Meanwhile, we shivered in the wind.

Once the game got going, we were all packed into the stands, creating a natural wind block. Then they lowered the banners over the stands, and it was suddenly like we were in a private Boca club, surrounded by eerie yellow and blue light, peaking in from the ceiling, and everyone was swaying and dancing, completely unperturbed that we were missing (potentially vital parts of) the game we had all come to see. And then, it was over. Just like that, 0-0.