Yesterday, November 23, I had friends over from Belgium and we decided it was time for another football evening.It is tradition that when we are abroad, we go to a match. Now, it had long been on my bucket list to see all the Madrid clubs in action, and this time we chose Getafe against Atlético Madrid. A derby. Before the match we bought a match scarf to fully immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of the evening and, of course, to have a nice souvenir afterwards.
Upon arrival, it was immediately clear that the stadium was completely sold out, which already gave a good feeling. Getafe is one of the four clubs from Madrid that play in the top division, along with Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Rayo Vallecano. Still, the atmosphere in the stadium was underwhelming. The crowd stayed relatively quiet and it seemed like the real derby feeling was missing, even though it was a true Madrid derby.
The football itself was not spectacular either. It is well known that Getafe do not play the most attractive football, and that became clear. They seemed to play the whole match with the idea of keeping a 0-0, while Atlético constantly tried to apply pressure. There were occasional attacking attempts from Getafe, which kept it somewhat interesting.
The match went as expected: few real chances and few goals. Apart from a few small chances at the beginning, there was very little to see in the first half. The only notable moment was an own goal by Domingos Duarte for Getafe, which put Atlético in the lead. Getafe still tried everything, with Mauro Arambarri even hitting the crossbar in the final minutes and a few corners from Javier Muñoz Jiménez, but an equalizer never came. It stayed 1-0 for Atlético Madrid.
Despite the mediocre football, it was a unique experience to visit Getafe’s stadium and see the club play in their own home. Walking around the stadium with friends and soaking up the atmosphere always makes an evening special.
All in all, not a match to remember for the football, but a successful evening with friends and a nice addition to my bucket list of Madrid clubs. In a few days, I’ll be heading to Atlético for their match against Inter. I’m hoping for a better match than yesterday’s.
