A Beautiful Day

It's now 2 weeks since that wonderful Saturday late fall afternoon at Gongti, what a wonderful way to end the season.

The mood in the stands was great, everyone was happy and there was a rare spirit inside and outside the venue. The number of people who lined up outside the North Gate in full regalia but without tickets, settling for hanging outside the stadium listening to the match and hearing the sounds from inside was startling. In 16 years the club never won a title and, though on the verge of it on Saturday, the job was far from being finished. The fans were in full voice, louder than I've ever heard Gongti before and from the very beginning, the team responded with a goal 2 minutes in.

From that point on, it was pretty much over. Any fans worried about the pressure being too much for this team doesn't know how much players like Tao Wei and Xu Yunlong have been through, or how strong Matic and Yang Zhi were mentally. Only up 1-nil,not overwhelming, but early on the news went through the stands that Shenzhen also got an early goal, it seemed we were in the clear. One more goal for us in the final moments of the 1st half put away the match, again thanks to Martinez, the celebrations could begin.

Two more goals in the 2nd half, through Martinez once again and Zhou Ting, finished off an overwhelmed Hangzhou squad, while Shenzhen beat Henan 3-1. The celebration began on the Guoan bench with 5 minutes left and when the final whistle went, it was pandemonium amongst the fans and players. The fans remained inside the stadium, singing and just soaking it in for over an hour after the match, then took the celebration to the streets, bars, and little restaurants all over the city.

A truly amazing Halloween that I'll never forget, it took 16 years to get there, hopefully it won't take that long before we get to celebrate again. I think I said everything I could about how meaningful the match was before the game, now I can only say, still 2 weeks on, I'm walking around happier than usual because Beijing is the champions. I've never enjoyed Gloria Gaynor's "I will Survive" (played over and over before and after the match) and Queen's "We Are the Champions" that much before.

For pictures, head to Beijing Guoan - Hangzhou Greentown photos.