On July 4, my friend Cristian and I travelled from Rio De Janeiro to the coastal city of Fortaleza, located in the north-east of Brazil.

Prior to the world cup we purchased tickets to the quarter final being held in this city as tickets were easy to come by at the time. Such was our luck it ended up being the match of the tournament so far, Brazil vs Colombia. 

We arrived at 7:30am and kickoff wasn't until 5pm, so we decided to go to Iracema beach and spend the day there before travelling to the Estadio Castelão in the afternoon.

On arrival in Iracema, there was a similar feel and atmosphere to the day in Sao Paulo when Brazil played Chile in the round of 16.... but it was still only 9:30am. From Iracema, we ventured down to beaches a few kilometres south such as Meireles and Nautica to see more of what Fortaleza had to offer. 

Along the sand were little kiosks, filled with yellow tables and chairs and decked out in all things Brazil. There were people who lined the footpaths selling jerseys, polos, hats, sunglasses and souvenirs, alongside those selling beer and water out of foam coolers they carry around. 

As it came close to midday, Fortaleza was painted yellow as the streets began to fill and the atmosphere began to pick up. Colombians and Brazilians put their passion on display by singing their respective team songs, however it was friendly competition in the end as fans from both teams posed for photos together and shared a laugh. 

A large Colombian crowd was based outside the Hotel Luzeiros, the base hotel for the Colombian national team. Fans waited outside hoping to get a look at their heroes before they left for the game, including Cristian and I who also stood and waited, with no luck in the end. 

For lunch, an omelette, side of batates (chips) and a Brahma (local Brazilian beer) were the order of the day. However, lunch was disrupted once every few minutes by people walking around selling everything from sunglasses to bags of mixed nuts on the beach. Every few minutes a simple "não obrigado" (no thankyou) was required, and they would move on from there... (that's as far my Portuguese vocabulary goes by the way).

After lunch, it was onto Iracema beach for the FIFA Fan Fest, a hub where fans congregate to enjoy the matches of the FIFA World Cup. The 1pm match saw France take on Germany. At full time it was the Germans who had the beers flowing as they watched their team progress to the tournament semi finals courtesy of a one-nil victory.

 

At the conclusion of Germany vs France, Cristian and I took a taxi to the Estadio Castelão.

Due to enormous traffic jams on the freeway and dancing in the streets that led to the stadium, a 30-minute taxi ride became an hour and 15 minute taxi ride. Walking towards the stadium you could hear drums, trumpets, clapping and singing coming from within the stadium. Rocking the Brazilian yellow and wearing the flag, it's safe to say we were adopted Brazilians for the afternoon. 

When the national anthem of Brazil played, there was nothing but goosebumps and chills. Being a part of a 60,000+ choir bellowing out this symphony is something I will never forget. The sight of Brazilians seated around me in tears as they sung only adds to that experience. 

The clock struck 5 and the match was underway. Only three minutes was needed for captain fantastic, Thiago Silva to pop up at the back post off a corner to poke home and send the crowd into ecstasy. 

Midway through the second half, the crowd went into raptures again. Fan favourite, David Luiz burying a thunderbolt of a free kick from 35 yards to send Brazil on their way to their first world cup semi final in 12 years.

What was quite surprising however, was the number of chants the Brazilian fans actually used. Only songs about Neymar, David Luiz, Pele and being Brazilian were sung throughout the match. However with limited variety in chanting, the passion of the fans made up for it; one example being a man in our row who was told if he didn't calm down he would be ejected from the stadium.

After a pulsating 90 minutes that saw Brazil clinch a 2-1 victory, the party had just begun. More singing and dancing outside the stadium, through the surrounding streets and on the buses back to the airport took place as the 60,000 strong crowd celebrated a famous victory. 

Overall, a successful day exploring one of Brazil's hidden coastal treasures; a must-visit for anyone looking to see somewhere else other than Rio or Sao Paulo. And to top it all off Brazil won. 

 

VAI BRAZIL!!! 

 

Peter Prandalos

FSC World Cup Reporter