I crashed a Mexican fiesta my first night in Recife, Pernambuco in northeast Brasil. They were celebrating their victory over Croatia and advancing into the knockout round. 7 of us piled into their rental car, which had flat, but we drove on slowly. The celebration was augmented by the Brasilians celebrating the Festival San Jaoa El Bautisto. We offered toasts ‘pa’riba, pa’bajo, pa’centro y pa’dentro’ until the tequila bottle hit the floor – party foul! ‘Ay, yai yai yai, canta no llore!’, because we continued partying with Cachaca drinking Caipirinhas! I strung up my hammock at their Air BnB for a night’s rest.

The Mexicans I partied with had travel plans the next day, so I joined up with some US fans from DC to explore the Old City and watch the Uruguai x Italy knockout match at Fan Fest. Uruguai literally ate up Italy and advanced to the quarter finals. Later that evening I met Chris at the airport to meet up with Daniela who arranged our stay with Andrea in a friend’s apartment.

The morning of gameday was chilly and raining, but we decided to go get some exercise and run along the beach anyway. Turns out it was a good warm up for our race to the start of our final group match versus Germany. It took 2 hours to travel the long distance through flooded streets and packed buses and metro cars to Estadio Pernambuco, which seemed to be located in the middle of nowhere, one stop from the end of the Metro line. Then we boarded a shuttle for another 15 minute ride, only to be dropped off a mile away. We managed to weave our way through the crowds and in lines to our seats just in time for the first kick.

The rain continued to fall and affected the pace of the game with neither Germany or the USA scoring in the first half. This time our seats were located in a general section, so it was not as exciting as being able to join in the chants with the US supporters section during the Portugal match in Manaus. Germany scored early in the second half and controlled the game during the remainder. The USA had a lucky break in the final minutes to try and tie, but did not get the ball into the back of the net. The game ended 1-0 and we waited anxiously for the results from the Portugal x Ghana match to decide our fate to advance or go home. Portugal won 2-1 and we roared back to life. We may have lost the battle against Germany but we won the Group war to advance into the Round of 16. Later that evening, Daniela celbrated with us at a Rodizio Churrascaria.

Chris and I joined new friends, Andrea and Meli in Pipa, a small beach town near Natal known for its tranquil beaches and wild night parties. There were tense moments on the beach though, when the Brasil x Chile knockout match entered penalty kicks. Everyone got out of the water and crowded around the TV. It was great to see the reactions from the Brasilians during each shot. Chile found the back of the net 4 times and Brasil 5 times. I could hear the entire nation breath a sigh of relief, though I think that was just the sound of the waves!

On our way back from Pipa we had to wait a couple hours for a transfer bus. What better way to kill those couple than by watching more futebol. We found a bar to watch Mexico x Holland. Both teams were having an impressive World Cup. Mexico kept a 1-0 lead for nearly the entire game until Holland tied late in the match. A penalty was called during stoppage time and the shot was good, 2-1 Holland. My heart broke and I cried for Mexico, to have held the lead for so long and lose in the final minutes. However, being knocked out did not deter the Mexican fans’ spirits as I would see many of them having fun and wearing their colors with pride throughout the remainder of the Cup.