Arrival to the stadium did not go as planned…that happens when you travel with the Gómez’s sometimes. To be fair, the kids made it to Estádio Do Dragao right at kickoff (5:30 PM) on their own via subway (kuddos to them); however, it was Claudia and myself who were 16 minutes late to kickoff. For most people, a 16 minute delay to a football game isn’t the end of the world, but for my type-A personality, it kinda was.

The back story behind our being tardy to the game isn’t simple but in summary, the rainy evening played a role and a forgotten Mexican flag (see below for explanation) did too. In the end, we witnessed four nice Porto FC goals: Mbemba, Favio Silva, own goal and Marega. In the process, we managed to spend some quality time…a family luxury we haven’t been able to afford in almost 6 months.

As far as the game went, Porto FC was never in danger of losing this one; the 22,000 fans present enjoyed the victory but for us, being close to the ultras and taking pictures while creating more family memories was of utmost importance. We were determined to have fun. The highlight of the day took place when, upon spotting the Gómez’s huge Mexican flag and as previously arranged by Johan, Jesus “Tecatito” Corona, came over, greeted us and gifted us his playing jersey. ¡¡¡Gracias Tecatito!!!. The drenching rain that coincided with our walk back home was perfect. It’s nice to get to be kids (with your own kids) every once in a while.