The Brazilian football fans of Sao Paulo chose to be content with the goalless draw of their team against Mexico on Tuesday. Why football is called a religion was perfectly realized as the busy streets were deserted and all shops and malls were closed on the occasion of the match. Moreover, the state government declared half holiday to allow people enjoy the match.
So it was suddenly a surprising view to experience the ever busy roads of Paulista Avenue without cars and buses. ‘Paulista never sleeps’ is a popular phrase used by the Brazilians as almost all the corporate offices connecting with international business links are located there. But during the match against Mexico, it seemed like the busy schedules had come to an abrupt halt.
All the roadside pubs were not authorized to set up the big screens and host the fans with beer and foods. A few were allowed and those generally were crowded with fans. Among those, Asterix was the biggest one as it had a projector and also about 10 LEDs hanging in all the corners. The deal was to pay 100 Reais and eat and drink throughout the match. The Guinness beer officials also distributed gifts during the interval.
Black Dog was a crowded cafeteria opposite of the Asteirx and it also offered the same deal to its clients and it did not have a single chair vacant. While these food stops were closed and covered, there were cafeterias like Lancheon which remained open with sitting arrangements outside the shop. Hundreds of fans kept standing all through the match and of course a large amount of beer was swallowed too.
Standing there gave an individual the feeling that he was also in the stadium and enjoying the match live.
There were shouts and disgusts after every Brazilian attack and movements as Mexico’s goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa made a series of outstanding saves to keep Brazil at bay.
When Ochoa dived full length to his right to deny Neymar’s goal-bound header from giving Brazil the lead in the 26th minute, the sound of ‘OOOOH’ actually make you think that you are sitting in the stands.
Ochoa made three other outstanding saves also to keep the host nation from breaking the deadlock - a shot by Paulinho, a second-half effort by Neymar and a close-range header by Thiago Silva in the 86th minute. All those saves triggered remarkable reactions from the fans as they suffered from the agony and anguish for not being able to celebrate a Brazil goal. Piles of cigarettes were smoked and gestures of frustrations were a constant company.
Adalynn was not happy and said, “Brazil should have won. They missed the ideal scoring opportunities upfront. However, we hope that Brazil will beat Cameroon with a big margin and top the group.”
However, Benjamin presented an interesting fact. “Mexico is our traditional nemesis. Brazil somehow falters against them. The team played well but could not score. I think Brazil will be firing in all cylinders against Cameroon,” said Benjamin.
Overall, Sao Paulo seemed content as the cracking sounds of crackers came down and people returned to their regular routine of life.