Watching the 2014 World Cup in Parque Lleras (Photos)

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Dave
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Celebrating in Parque Lleras
Horns and cheap shirts for sale
Horns and cheap shirts for sale

Watching the 2014 World Cup in Colombia was yet another expat experience I’ll always remember.

Laziness led me to watch Colombia’s first two morning (local time) matches against Greece and the Ivory Coast from the comfort of home.

They’d already qualified for the Round of 16 heading into their final group stage match with Japan, so the game didn’t mean much, but I decided it was time to start venturing out to Parque Lleras for the full experience. These are my favorite photos from the Japan, Uruguay and Brazil matches.

Colombia v Japan

Parque Lleras
With the Japan match lacking significance, the crowds were lighter in Parque Lleras
A taxi driver having some fun with the 2014 World Cup
A taxi driver having some fun with the 2014 World Cup
Colombia scores against Japan, and the crowd erupts
Colombia scores against Japan in the second half, and the crowd erupts
Celebrating the win
Colombia went on to beat Japan 4-1 with three second-half goals, including one in the 90th minute by James Rodríguez

Colombia v Uruguay

Celebrating
Celebrations break out after Colombia beats Uruguay 2-0
James Rodríguez scored both goals in Colombia's win
James Rodríguez scored both goals in Colombia’s win
You can almost taste the foam
You can almost taste the foam
A kid holds up talcum powder for sale
A kid holds up talcum powder for sale
A group of friends pose for a photo in the post-game euphoria
A group of friends pose for a photo in the post-game euphoria
Thirty minutes after the match ended, the celebrations were still going strong
Thirty minutes after the match ended, the celebrations were still going strong

Colombia v Brazil

Colombians sing their national anthem ahead of the Brazil match
Colombians sing their national anthem ahead of the Brazil match
Thousands of people packed Parque Lleras and the surrounding bars and restaurants for what became a contentious match with Brazil
Thousands of people packed Parque Lleras and the surrounding bars and restaurants for what became a contentious match with Brazil
Celebrating
In spite of Colombia’s heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Brazil, many fans still chose to hang out with friends in Parque Lleras to enjoy the atmosphere and celebrate Colombia’s first appearance in the Quarterfinals of a World Cup
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2 COMMENTS

  1. I fell in love with Colombian football. I watched the qualifiers with my ex’s family and then with some Colombians in San Francisco. Talk about passion. I have never seen a team with so much passion. It was shown with the THOUSANDS that showed up to thank their team in Bogota.

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