Germany Ladies 2-0 Russia Ladies (Stadion
Galgenwaard, Utrecht, att. 6,458)
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| Indeed! |
‘The most beautiful canal city in
the Netherlands’ proclaims Utrecht and they have a point. The centre is gorgeous, all…..canals…..and
nooks and crannies, open-air cafes and charming bars. I loved it.
Got there early, spent hours perusing, quaffed a couple of beers during
the deluge pre match, then followed a canal to the stadium (the second canal; I
mistakenly went down the wrong one initially.)
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| The city centre. |
At the Stadium, half an hour away,
I had to find section X. V-W were one
end and you couldn't continue for fences and a canal, so I doubled back and
walked all the way to A-B, right the way around. Another dead end, like the Circle Line on the
London Underground. So I returned back to VW and there on a post was
a laminated ‘Sektor X’ which looked recently added. I was due to be behind the goal but with the
sparsity of the crowd, I think they pushed us all into the side stand. Fine by me.
I climbed the stairs for a great view.
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| A great view...of sorts. |
The bottom half of this stand was
very busy, as were the wings opposite (if
not the exec bit in the centre). Below
me were the Germans, who probably made up more than half the crowd. The stadium itself was very impressive, four
large, steep modern, identical one-tiered stands. What the stadium lacked in
corners filled in, it gained in height, holding around 24,000, though not
today. The sides of the stands seemed a
bit open to the elements. I'm sure Utrecht isn't especially warm. Each corner contained an office block of zero
architectural significance.
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| Tho' perhaps the office block looked better from without. |
I enjoyed the game. Perennial champs Germany outclassed Russia
2-0, albeit through two pens. The first
one looked 50/50 but since the ref had given the Russians the benefit of
earlier doubt, this one went to Germany.
As per the course, it was drilled low to the keeper's right. The second was a lot more clear cut, the
resultant kick sent low in the opposite corner.
Two perfectly executed spot kicks.
Ruthless.
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| A penalty is despatched. |
Otherwise, Germany missed a
number of chances while Russia occasionally looked dangerous on the break, but
the passing, movement and power of these German look championship material to
me. I didn't walk back to town. It was the free shuttle bus for me. Oh, and I succumbed to the payment card
system in the stadium. I was hungry and
there was a pile of bacon (‘baked ham’ - is that really where we get the word ‘bacon’
from?) Anyway, it was just asking to be
eaten. Not cheap but thoroughly delicious.
The Damage:
€10 ent
€4.50 ‘baked ham’ roll
= €14.50
The Tunes:
Sunshine Hit Me (The Bees)
Fabric 84 (Mathew Johnson)
Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom
(Cypress Hill)
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| Stadion Galgenwaard panorama |
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| Banners advertising the tournament. |
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| An unassuming 1st glance |
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| Match action. |
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| Looking toward the posh seats. |
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| Despite (because of?) the open sides, I really like the design. |
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| Someone getting a bird's eye view. |
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| Exec box overload. |
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| Match action, 2nd half. |
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| Panorama from the back row. |
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| Let's celebrate! |
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| Full-time in Utrecht. |
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| Back of the stand. |
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| More shopping centre than footie ground. |
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| This way in. |
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| Welcome to....(II) |
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| Branded team buses. |
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