By Gabriel Araujo and Leonardo Benassatto
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers experienced a “playoff atmosphere” on Friday as they faced off in Brazil’s first-ever NFL game, attracting more than 45,000 fans in a market the league says has established itself as key for the sport.
The Eagles defeated the Packers 34-29 at Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena as the NFL made its debut in Latin America’s largest country, continuing to expand its global footprint.
“What an unbelievable atmosphere for a football game,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “I miss our fans at The Link, but Brazil, wow! That was incredible. It was a fun atmosphere, felt like a playoff atmosphere.”
A total 47,236 people attended the game, many in disbelief for realizing their dream of seeing the NFL in Brazil, where the sports’ fan base has grown quickly since the 1990s with games broadcast both on free-to-air and cable TV.
The Eagles were designated the home side for the game, the first Friday night NFL season-opener since 1970, but jerseys of basically every franchise in the league were spotted at the stadium, and the Packers also attracted thousands of fans.
Chants of “Go Pack Go” and “Fly Eagles Fly” were ubiquitous throughout the game.
“The atmosphere was outstanding. A lot of credit to the fans tonight. I thought they showed out,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told a press conference. “Overall it was a really good experience, minus the loss obviously.”
Traditional Brazilian moments also marked the game as fans proudly sang their country’s national anthem alongside singer Luisa Sonza, Olympic medalists including gymnast Rebeca Andrade were honored, and pop star Anitta performed during the halftime break.
Running back Saquon Barkley, who scored three touchdowns in his Eagles debut, said he got chills as the crowd sang Brazil’s national anthem. “Never really seen anything like that,” Barkley told reporters.
A typical Brazilian “samba school” drummed between plays and locals got to sing a cappella “Evidencias,” one of the country’s most popular songs by country duo Chitaozinho & Xororo.
Some players including Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown had voiced safety concerns ahead of the trip but fears did not materialize as Sao Paulo tightened security and no major incident had been reported by Saturday morning.
Strong police presence was seen way after the game as journalists, staff and some fans left the stadium past 2am local time (0500 GMT).
“We had a whole bunch of don’t dos, but it’s been great since we got here,” Brown said after the game. “They been treating us well and it was great to see the city and everything. I’m glad we got the opportunity.”
Fans were already counting the days for another game in Brazil. “I hope this opens the door (for more games),” said Packers fan Andressa San Martin, who traveled from Rio de Janeiro.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo and Leonardo Benassatto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Comments