Germany v Ghana at the Castelao

Without a doubt, this was one of the best stadium experiences I've ever had.  The Estadio Castelao is purpose-built for soccer, and there isn't a bad seat in the house.  From our middle-of-the-road seats, I could see everything perfectly.

Makes me wish I had a phone that could take fancy pictures

The acoustics are incredible; you can hear fans on the other side of the stadium singing clearly and the goals are deafening.  FIFA strong-armed the local government, which normally bans alcohol sales at games due to excessive fan violence, so the stadium sold beer in collectible cups, as well a 'double hot dog' which was exactly what it sounds like.

I'd guess that there were about a third Germany fans, half Brazil fans, and then a vocal minority of Ghana fans with random others sprinkled around the venue.  The crowd was definitely pro-Ghana, because Brazilians want to see Germany knocked out early (they're also pro-USA, which is nice).  We were in a mix of German and Brazilian fans, and the rivalry was friendly.

On top of being a great venue, the game itself was fantastic.  Germany was generally good, but couldn't get through Ghana's speed and strength on defense.  Khedira was a liability until  he was substituted for Schweinsteiger, though it wasn't totally his fault.  He was played as a central midfielder instead of his more comfortable role as a defensive midfielder, and was sloppy in possession; this led to several chances for Ghana.  Ghana repeated the strengths they demonstrated against America, working the wings and crossing effectively.  Prince-Boateng, Gyan, and Ayew were barely contained by the normally imperious German defence.  I think a draw is a fair result for both teams, but Ghana could argue they deserved to win.

I'm still figuring out what this surprise draw means for America, but it can't be bad.  We had a healthy debate over the various scenarios while we waited for dinner

He didn't have much to say on the topic

Either way, USA will need to take points off of Portugal and possibly Germany, but if they beat Portugal tomorrow they're through.  In any case, I can't wait for our next trip to the Castelao on Tuesday for Ivory Coast v. Greece!