After the opening two games of the FIFA U-20 World Cup at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, B.C., one thing became apparent—Spanish speaking nations' love of the 'beautiful game' is near fanatical.
The day started off with a match between Jordan and Zambia and while it would be unfair to say that the Jordanian and Zambian fans were sitting on their hands, they seemed to be lacking some of the zest and enthusiasm that would be characteristic of fans in the second part of the doubleheader.
Jordan 1–Zambia 1
Zambia controlled much of the play as they maintained possession in the Jordanian zone for much of the first half. Jordan hurt its own chances after defender Tariq Al-Jumah was sent off in the sixth minute resulting in a smattering of boos from the Jordan faithful.
A minute later—after a foul inside the box—midfielder Fwayo Tembo converted a penalty kick to put Zambia ahead piercing the relative tranquility at Swangard with thunderous applause.
Before the first half ended, Jordan's goalkeeper Hamad Al Asmar made a number of key saves to keep his team in the game, much to the pleasure of fans and teammates, including Abdullah Salim who evened the score at the 41-minute mark.
The game would end in a 1–1 draw and though the fans from both sides were quick to vocally display their displeasure at a bad call and cheer with all their might when either team scored, it paled in comparison to the electric atmosphere that would take place next.
Spain 2–Uruguay 2
You could already notice the stark contrast in atmosphere when Spain and Uruguay were going through their warm-ups—numerous Uruguayan and Spanish flags were dotting the grandstands and the distinct sound of singing could be heard. Female fans cheered for their favorite players and both sides began hurling insults at one another.
Though the attendance was supposedly at capacity for the Jordan–Zambia affair, there were some empty seats visible but when the opening whistle sounded for the second game, Swangard Stadium was nearly bursting at the seams.
The first half featured some breathtaking scoring opportunities, but strong goalkeeping kept the affair scoreless at the break.
The second half showed why both were considered the class of Group B and made many of the faithful grateful to be witnessing these two giants play live.
A minute into the second half, Uruguay's team captain Edinson Cavani scored and the stadium erupted making the surrounding area wonder if there was 50,000 in the stadium as opposed to the 10,000 listed.
When Luis Suarez scored for Uruguay in the 56th minute, the enthusiasm could be seen on the bench as well as in the stands, as the substitutes began hugging and exchanging high fives.
Another noticeable difference between the Jordan–Zambia game and the Spain–Uruguay game is the coaching style. While Jordan and Zambia's coaches were vocal, the Spanish and Uruguayan coaches were more animated, patrolling the sidelines like guard dogs and screaming instructions to their players at the top of their lungs.
Spanish coach Gines Melendez took out starting forward Alberto Bueno and put in Adrian Lopez. The decision paid dividends as the substitute scored 18 minutes later to cut into Uruguay's two-goal lead.
With the game switching into the three-minute injury time, Uruguaian fans sensed a victory and the flags began to fly and the singing became louder. But Spain is one of the world's premier soccer nations for a reason, and with only one minute left in the game Uruguay goalkeeper Mauro Goicoechea misplayed a Diego Capel floater that found its way into the net.
A dejected Goicoechea would walk past the media scrum without saying a word, but in his case actions spoke louder than words.
Spanish fans cheered while Uruguayan fans sat stunned as play in the U-20 World Cup's B group definitely started off with a bang.
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