Dream come true - Watching Juventus Roma live!
While I realize I’m failing at keeping this blog updated with experiences from our Eurotrip, I had to jot down some thoughts and impressions from the Juventus game last weekend.
When Nico and I started planning this trip, Oktoberfest was the main attraction in our minds. Now though, having actually watched a Juve game live, nothing else can even come close to being the highlight of our 2 week adventure. IT WAS FUCKING SPECTACULAR!
The whole experience was crazy from the get go. With no tickets in hand, we took the 30 minute bus ride from central Torino to the stadium about 2 hours before the game started. That gave us plenty of time to look like sketchy tourists looking for sketchy people to scalp sketchy tickets from.
Scalping was no easy business. After looking around for a bit and feeling out the situation, we found out that the best way to get in was with the Ultras - otherwise all tickets in other sections had to be assigned to your name and have your name printed on the ticket. Basically, the only way to watch the game was to pay the craziest Italian fans to smuggle you in. Yikes.
Here’s where my Italian came in suuper handy. I found a guy that was from the Drughi (Juventus Ultra group) and after a bit of haggling got a price for 3 tickets. We had to pay him without even seeing the tickets. Then, we (and our money) got handed off to 4 different people and finally the last guy, after talking very angrily with everyone around him, told me we’re going in and gave us tickets. There were definitely about 20 minutes of standing outside next to these untrustworthy Italians where we thought we had lost our money. But with nothing else to do but wait and believe, we ended up following Luca (our guy) closely who successfully smuggled our mugs through the entrance gates. We were finally inside the most precious football stadium for a derby game some 45 minutes before kick off. BOOM!
Being inside and feeling the atmosphere and anticipation on the hairs of my skin was an unbelievable feeling. Jaw to the floor, I just kept my hands on my head in disbelief as I looked around the stadium in awe. The place was BUZZING! I had that feeling of “holy shit I’ve been dreaming of this moment for forever and this is how it actually feels.” I could hardly figure out what to do with myself to best soak it all in. What a glorious feeling.
Soon enough, the players were out and we all yelled out every players last name together to introduce the line up; just like I do in front of my shitty computer stream every week, just now live and at the stadium. Then the game started and we all focused in. Nail bitting, sighing, praying, all in one.
The actual game itself was ridiculous. In just 7 minutes, between min 12-19, Juve scored 3 goals to send the place into delirium. I have never yelled and jumped so much in my life! After the 3rd goal, the Nicks and I just starred at each other going “is this really happening?”
Roma, the team we were playing against, are a very good team. In fact, they are supposedly one of the few teams to challenge Juventus for the title this year. Nonetheless, my Bianconeri came out incredibly motivated and organized. It was a beauty to watch. We scored 3 amazing goals in the first half, gave up a penalty kick and scored a 4th one in the second, and had tons of more chances throughout. A true Juve demolition, right in front of our eyes.
The videos and pictures I have will really paint the picture for y’all, but that will have you watch until I get back to Seattle. In the meantime, I can write another million words on this experience but I probably shouldn’t. This I know though.
Since the first second I stepped into the Juventus Stadium I felt an incredible feeling of pride to be a Juventino, but after my team put on a show for us in our only game there, the love I felt and feel for Juve is immeasurable.
Fino alla fine, Forza Juventus!
