Riga Diary – Day 6
The end
The adventure of the Sporting Clube de Portugal entourage in Riga has come to an end. The week was intense, as you would expect, and had several memorable moments. It ended in the negative, unfortunately, with FC Barcelona’s triumph in the UEFA Futsal Champions League final.
For breakfast, something different. There was ‘Game Day’, the Supporting theme that couldn’t be more appropriate, with the players singing and accompanying what has been one of the main anthems of this season.
Then the tour and, of course, the group activity. This time, there was a stop at one of the most emblematic places in Riga for a group photo. On the way back to the hotel, several fans also asked for a photo with the players.
On a day when rain has come to Riga for the first time since we are in Latvia, the players will gather in technical equipment before the pavilion. A video was shown with messages of support from the athletes’ dear ones and some, like Guitta or Waltinho, do not hide their emotion.
We set off for Arena Rīga and, upon arrival, Erick Mendonça’s column played, once again, ‘Game Day’. All sports, at that moment, were coming. Inside, several of Leonine adepts were found to attend to the entire meeting. Among them, Hugo Ramos and Diogo Travassos, who spoke to us a few days ago. In total, more than 8000 spectators approach Arēna Rīga.
The title did not go smoothly and the result was negative for Sporting CP, who were unable to re-validate the European Champion, and positive for FC Barcelona. We know that you can’t win mainly, especially at this level, but it doesn’t leave a lot of cream and the players’ faces made that very evident.
On the way back, on the bus, there was silence, as expected, which is a good sign. For a winning team like this, any defeat, even against a world-class team of equals, weighs heavily.
At the hotel, at the end of the dinner, some fans went to the hotel to give the team extra strength, in a gesture that did not go unnoticed.
We return to Portugal tomorrow, with another day spent traveling, and this diary ends today. Accompanying the futsal team, which has contributed so much to the history of the Club, is always a pleasure and a learning experience. Most of the time it doesn’t even feel like work. To the next!
By Luís Santos Castelo, in Riga.