A day, when the whole Montevideo stood still. Instead of the common people, the only ones roaming the streets were police officers, LOADS of police officers.
It was the day for the years first encounter of the two big clubs of Uruguay, Club Nacional de Football and Penarol.
This Derby is one of the oldest and most emotionally charged games in the world, listed as the worlds 4th fiercest derby by the football magazine Fourfourtwo (https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/fourfourtwos-50-biggest-derbies-world-no4-nacional-vs-penarol).
The derby is characterised not only by the passion in the stands, but also on the field. In 2014 encounter, 4 red cards were shown, 9 players spent their night at the police station, and 17 more were suspended after the game.
I experienced the seriousness of the event already 4 hours before the game. Being a Nacional fan, I was waiting for my buddies at a local gas station in order to go for previas (couple of beers) before the game, when a local man walked up to me and asked if I'm out of my mind.
Turned out that the gas station we agreed to meet at, was Penarol territory before the game, and that a foreigner in a Nacional-jersey, would make up an easy target for the stressed Penarol fans, who were literally waiting to relieve their bitterness of trailing two points in the league table, before the derby. The guy took me to the upper floor of his garage, in order to avoid collateral damage in front of his business. I slowly started to understand how passionate the people really were for their teams.
After the previas, we arrived to the Estadio Centenario, the stadium built originally for the 1930 world cup. The feeling was eccentric with almost 70'000 fans in yellow and black (Penarol) or Tricolore (Nacional) chanting fanatically for their teams before the game.
Because we were seated in the Nacional-fanstand it was hard to hear how loud the fans of the opposite team were, but for me, it is easy to say, that it was by far the noisiest sporting event I've ever been to. From my friends seated in more neutral parts of the stadium, I also learned afterwards, that the Nacional fans, although being a minority, were much louder during the game than the hosts Penarol, which was great to hear.
The game itself was surprisingly calm despite the furious history. After Penarol scored the first goal, there was a moment of anxiety among the Nacional fans and I saw tears in the eyes of many seasoned fans.
However, after the Penarol goal, Nacional took control of the game and managed to level with 70 minutes played. A draw meant that Nacional managed to hold their two-point lead in the league, which itself was a reason for celebration. I can only speculate what would have happened in the stands, in case of a winner had been scored, but based on the reaction for the equaliser, the structures of the 88-year old stadium would have been properly tested, so wild was the celebration.
To attend one of the most fanatic and traditional football rivalries in the world, was a huge privilege for me. Only now I can truly say that I understand, how important sports can be for a supporters life. I hope, that some day I will be able to return to Montevideo to watch the El Classico, again with the amazing fans of Naxiona, many of which I have the honour to call my friends.
