Italy - Australia; your pick

THIS IS IT.

Italy vs. Australia, 1 a.m. Melbourne time.

In less than two hours' time, soccer/football fans all over Australia, Italy and the rest of the world will be glued to their TVs, listening to radios, hooked to their computers, or however they are accessing the game.

Go Italia!...

A street away, Melbourne's own Little Italy, Lygon Street (practically a long stretch of Italian restaurants and cafés) is already filling up with excitement and energy. A huge television screen has been set up on Lygon Street for the Italian fans or other people supporting Italy (I presume so, since it is Lygon, after all). I can hear the noise already. It's just as well that I'm staying up to catch the game, as I don't think I can be able to sleep with the noise from Lygon Street tonight! (Which is just a block away.)

Federation Square

Over at the other end of the city, Federation Square also has a huge television screen set up there (as it has been for the previous two games Australia had played); but tonight will probably be more significant than any other matches, since Australia made it to the second round, after all. I will be heading down there later on with my friends to join the massive crowd in supporting - actually, I still have no idea who I'm supporting. =P

... or will the Socceroos pull off another surprise again?

If Italy wins tonight, I can imagine headlines in tomorrow's papers: NO MORE PASTA/PIZZA/(insert Italian dish here). LOL. The Australians will probably boycott Lygon Street after that. The Italian community will have to endure being shunned for awhile.

On the other hand, if Australia wins, the Lygon restaurants (or any other Italian eateries) will probably treat the Australians coldly (just as well that I'm Asian, heh). Oh my goodness - I can't imagine how things would be like tomorrow morning when I go out. Wonder what I will see tomorrow. LOL. I recall a friend telling me about what happened after the Australia-Japan match; after the match, he was on the roads, in his car, and this car of Australians passed by him and one of them shouted at him, calling him something obscene, thinking he was a Japanese!

Will be leaving my place soon to walk down to Federation Square with a friend later to meet our other friends there. The match starts at 1 a.m., but we're going early to get a good vantage point where we can actually see the screen. I expect tonight to be even more packed than ever. I didn't watch at Federation Square, but from television reports and newspaper pictures, the crowd is MASSIVE.

The speakers from Lygon Street are SO LOUD, I can hear the commentator's EVERY WORD. The city is full and alive tonight. The roads to Lygon Street have all been blocked (and to Fed Square too, I should think; would find out later!), and people in cars, walking, on bicycles, are already travelling all over the city to wherever they are heading to. If I was staying home tonight, I can probably tell what's happening in the game even without stepping out. Probably can hear the crowd cheering and shouting all the way.

It's so alive. Tonight will probably be the closest I'll ever actually get to feeling an authentic soccer-mad atmosphere, and lose myself among the spectators. It probably won't be exactly the same as over in Germany, in the stadium itself, but close enough! (Note to self: something I definitely want to do when I can and have the means to do in the future- catch the World Cup live!)

It is extremely noisy outside; it's either from the gathering crowd or from the screen (and will probably be worse when the match starts later!) I can practically feel the tension and excitement hanging thick in the cold, Melbourne air.

Most of my friends think that Italy will be the one to get through; but then again, it's soccer we're talking about. Anything can happen. There's been many upsets throughout soccer history.

And tonight is no exception.

=D