England v Uruguay
Corinthians Arena
Sao Paulo, Brazil
19 June 2014
After losing narrowly to Italy in Manaus there was still all to play for in the Group stages against the plucky Uruguayans in the metropolis of Sao Paulo
We had managed to secure all of England's Group Stage tickets at Cat 3. The only downside was that I had not applied for conditional tickets for the KO stages (in hindsight this was to be a good thing) but at the time in meant that we had organised our trip to to the KO phase (Rd 16) without knowing who would be playing in those games
Raheem Sterling was the MoM in England's last game against Italy and fully deserves his place on the cover of edition 133
England 1 Uruguay 2
Attendance: 62575
The stadium is located 11 miles east of the city centre and the best mode of transport is the metro/train. We took the red line from Se to Artur Alvim which was about 900m from the stadium but was for the wrong side as this was the Uruguayan end designed for fans with 'Oeste' (West) stand tickets, whereas we had 'Leste' (East) stand tickets, oh well!
Arena de Sao Paulo slowly filling up
The Arena de Sao Paulo had a tournament capacity of 62601 and played host to 6 games at the World Cup:
FIFA WC 2014
Group A, Brazil v Croatia (3-1)
Group D, Uruguay v England (2-1)
Group B, Holland v Chile (2-0)
Group G, South Korea v Belgium (0-1)
Rd of 16, Argentina v Switzerland (1-0)
Semi Final, Argentina v Holland (0-0) (2-4 pens)
For the WC the East and West stands had two huge temporary stands behind each goal. We were in the far one to the East
View facing East
Day 1 - We left Manaus on the 18th June at 1620 to arrive in Sao Paulo at Guarulhos International airport, 2120 local time. The taxi journey to the hotel was an education in just how vast Sao Paulo is, and in 40 minutes we eventually arrived at our destination in the Jardins distict.
Day 2 is Match Day. This is the view from the roof of the Transamerica Executive 21st Century on Alameda Lorena
A short walk up the hill and we are at Avenida Paulista
We take the Metro (Green Line 2) from Trianon to the centre to pick up a copy of the Free Lions. The temperature difference from the Jungle is severe and I'm freezing already!.
The square opposite the Metro at Consolacao and
the Free Lions Squad are on hand as always.
The Catedral da Se is just about the most significant landmark in Sao Paulo, but it is located in a poor area of the city and is definitely not recommended to wander around here at night
Praca da Se is the pebbled area in front of the
cathedral shaded by the fig and palm trees.
Dodgy looking band
You won't find this hotel on booking.com!
The Cathedral from another angle
This monument is commemorating the prosperity of Sao Paulo following the discovery of gold and precious stones in Minas Gerais. Sao Paulo became a gateway to this area which led to its declaration as a city in 1711.
Front plate showing the directions where people
came from to make there fortunes
After sightseeing we get the metro form the cathedral area and alight at Artur Alvim and luckily stumble into the Casa Do Pastel which serves beer and awesome steak sandwiches.
Casa Do Pastel
We are surrounded by Uruguayan and Brazilian fans, probably because we got off at the wrong stop
WTF is that
A bit under the weather but nothing that a lager won't solve
Journey to the ground (East Stand)
These Three Furry Lions are proving a hit with the ladies.
Sue keeping warm
The temporary East Stand which the crane crashed into.
On a cloudy day in Sao Paulo we finally make it to the stadium
Immense
The Arena Corinthians is so impressive
Get it the right way up!
The Cardy is out!
The view from East to West stands
England end
England end
Kick off approaching
The National Anthems
A bit windy up the top
England faithful
Uruguay edge us out 2:1 as Suarez creates havoc in the 39th minute to make it 1-0. Rooney equalisers in the 75th minute then Suarez bags a brace following a long punt up field in the 85th minute. In the dying minutes Rooney's header crashes off the bar and it's all over
After the game we meet up with the boys at a Brazilian
Churrascarias in Vila Madelena. Andrew, Bob, Johnny Mac, Sir Tommy and Deano on the far table.
A busy bar but great food
West Ham Glen (a happy hammer
despite England's exit).
On day 3 we headed back into the centre to watch Costa Rica play Italy at the Fan Fest. Costa Rica won 1:0 confirming that England were now mathematically finished.
The area another nearby park (Praca Ramas) is very poor as seen by these homeless shelters in front of the Theatro Municipal.
The huge fountains at Praca Ramos is the Fonte dos Desejos, meaning Fountain of Wishes built in 1922 to celebrate the centenary of the arrival of Italian immigrants to Sao Paulo.
The Fan Fest as seen from the top of the Fountain.
Theatro Municipial
MASP - Museo de Arte de Sao Paulo, seems to be the cities biggest attraction.
We didn't fancy looking at art so had a drink on Avenida Paulista instead
Day 4 is the last day so we decided to venture South of the city to Parque Ibirapuera, the biggest park in Sao Paulo. This is the Monumento as Bandeiras, which is a tribute to the explorers who opened up Brazil's interior to the world.
Statue of Pedro Alvares Cabral who was the Portuguese explorer who first set foot on Brazilian soil in 1500.
This futuristic building is the Auditorium Ibirapuera
Auditorium Ibirapuera from the front
A view of the city landscape across Ibirapuera lake
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