Congo vs Morocco (otherwise entitled "my first international soccer game"

Two Sundays ago we went to Owando, which is about 100 km north of Oyo. We went to visit our friend Andreas, and for a big football (soccer) match; Congo vs Morocco. The Congo Asohoto team playing was from right near Oyo, and Andreas had bought us t-shirts to wear to support the team. 

Before the match, we went and hung out at Andreas’s house since he lives right near the stadium. He had prepared a meal for us as well. While we were waiting to go to the game, a police officer came to the house and wanted to see our passports. Whenever we go out of town we bring our passports just in case. Apparently the police officer thought we were from Morocco and had come to cause trouble or be unruly. We showed him our passports, with my visa, etc. and he went away satisfied. We had a good laugh about it afterwards. People are constantly mistaking me for Chinese or some other nationality and Orcxance thinks it’s ridiculous that the officer couldn’t tell the difference between North African and North American.

The Berkane Morocco team seemed better at first, and I think they were slightly better. They played “lighter” with what my father would call “finesse” while the Congo team played harder and rougher. The Moroccan players fell frequently, and seemed to be often slightly injured, although nothing was bad. I don’t know if it was due to our players being too rough, or maybe that was just their style, but the refs were not Congolese, and the only player I saw get a yellow card was a Moroccan player….so I’m not sure. The Moroccan coach was definitely fiercer than our coach, and let his players have it. Several arguments broke out between players occasionally as well.

Unfortunately our goalie was not up to par, and toward the end was in danger of giving the game away - but it ended up being 1 to 1. Andreas and Orcxance thought we would have won if it hadn’t been for the goalie. We wanted to win of course, but I was a little relieved that we didn’t win, unsure of what the crowd would do if we did. 

Even at the smaller games in Impfondo the crowd can become quite unmanagable, and there with only a few hundred people. But here we were in the big stadium with a crowd close to 7 thousand. I tried to take some photos and video clips to give an idea of what it was like - but they don’t do it justice. Are games like this worldwide some kind of substitute for war? No doubt. 

You’ll believe it when you see it.

sitting in the almost-empty stadium afterwards