The big day has arrived. We are headed to Maracana Stadium for the quarter-final World Cup match between Germany and France.  Nico shows off our complimentary tickets before boarding the bus.  The bus for the French National team is also boarding and the security detail to protect them is insane.

The bus ride to the stadium went very quickly as today has been proclaimed a national holiday due to the quarter final match between Brazil and Columbia later this afternoon.  We arrived at the Coca-Cola pavilion for lunch and refreshments before the game.  Nico poses with Andra in front of a nice locker room backdrop provided just for this purpose.

I nearly had to twist his arm off before Nico would agree to pose for this photo with a dancer we met while making our way to the stadium entrance.  I suspect he is now happy I forced him to do so or will be in a couple of years when he revisits the blog.  My rule of thumb: Only good things come from the combination of large feathers and beautiful women.

When Nico first got the call from Powerade some 9 months ago we could not have imagined that his journey with the campaign would land us in Brazil for a World Cup match in the Maracana Stadium.  I am thrilled that he chose me for his +1 (Kyle and Karuna were both in the running) but even more so that the video I shot of his childhood has been woven into such a compelling story of his life in soccer.

Aside from the caliber of play, a World Cup match is defined by the fervor of the fans rooting for their country.  To be among the sea of supporters intent on propelling their team to victory was a truly memorable experience.

The game itself was not as high scoring as some of the matches so far but suffered no lack of intensity by either squad despite the sweltering conditions. Germany’s single goal off a brilliant header was enough to send France home.

After the match we returned to the Sheraton lounge where we all gathered to watch the Brazil-Columbia match on the big screen TVs openly rooting for the home team knowing a win would trigger massive celebration across the nation.  Andra, Nico, and Kevin show off their pro Brazil tattoos during half time.

When Brazil emerged victorious we joined a few newly made friends and some of the Coke folks for a sampling of the local pub scene.