Tag Archives: World Cup 2010

World Cup Match Report: Netherlands vs Denmark

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My good mate Adam is once again the man on the ground for this one:

Soccer City (14 June 2010)

Result 2-0

The Orange Army was out in force this afternoon. They arrived wearing all shades of shocking orange, from tip-to-toe they showed exactly where their alliances lay. A handful of supporters contrasted the orange and wore the red and white of Denmark. I had always dreamed of being a part of the Orange Army and so had decided prior to the game to support Holland. I wore my World Cup Overalls but modified it slightly with bright orange running shorts and an Orange shirt. It worked wonderfully and I immediately engrossed as part of the vibe! Soccer City is built for the Netherlands, the seats are all bright orange so even before the stadium had reached capacity it was as if the stands were full of the faithful supporters.

Dutch

The very controversial Vuvuzelas once again blared throughout the game. The crowd’s favourite was undoubtedly Arsenal’s Van Persie and whenever he got the ball the trumpets increased in decibels from mind-numbing to well more mind-numbing. The first half saw no goals and was punctuated by quite a funny scene…about 40 beautiful blonde girls dressed in very short bright orange mini-skirts were ‘removed’ from the stadium by the police. We had no idea what was happening and it was only after the game did we discover that they had been part of an ambush marketing ploy by Bavaria Beer. The girls all got questioned by the police and some were temporarily detained but the news spread around the world so Bavaria’s little plan had worked! Free publicity! I must say that the girls they used were indeed gorgeous and they constantly had a crowd of gawking males following their every movement. Hell, I would drink Bavaria if it meant I would have girls like that around!

The action on the field improved in the second half with an own goal from Agger and a tap in goal from Kuyt. They have got the campaign to a winning start, though one did get the feeling they were just cruising and not at their best. Are they possibly a title contender? As I left the ground running for the train I kept looking around at the fans! It is amazing how such a radical colour helps unite a nation and brings about a sense of belonging. I’m hoping that the ‘Yellow’ of Bafana Bafana does the same for our country. Maybe, just maybe, this World Cup has created an everlasting sea of yellow. Time will tell!

Now, where in Joburg can I buy a six pack of Bavaria?

World Cup Match Report: England vs USA

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I’ve cycled to Cape Town twice mainly because one of my best mates Adam Bannister (tenuously related to Roger Bannister who ran the four minute mile) lives in Cape Town. Yes, there are easier ways of getting there but cycling there was the best way to ensure that I impressed chicks in bars when I got there. Adam’s now a Gamekeeper at a big national park but has taken 6weeks off to watch as many games live at the stadiums as possible.

He saw the England game live and this is his report:

Rustenburg Stadium

There was a constant stream of cars leaving Johannesburg heading towards the Hartebeestpoort Dam area. It seemed that everyone had the same plan as us. First watch the Springboks muscle out the French, in a number of little pubs near the dam and then move onto the various park ‘n rides to braai and pre-drink before catching a lift to the stadium for what promised to be one of the most mouth-watering games of the World Cup. England vs. the United States of America. Security at the stadium was tight with a number of high powered dignitaries present, but once inside it was wonderful.

Rustenberg Stadium is tiny in comparison to Soccer City and seats half the number of spectators; but what it lacks in size it makes up in so many other ways. It has an incredible atmosphere and allows for the crowd to really interact nicely with each other!

I went to the game dressed up as a lion; yes that’s right a spitting image of Richard the Lion Heart! The outfit was a hit an instantly convinced the Poms that I was serious in supporting the “Dad’s Army”. I saw chain-mail clad Knights, RAF pilots, supermen, Uncle Sams, guys in fat-suites and even an American dressed up as a shoe! The fans really had gone to town and were literally wearing their passion on their backs.

England Usa

Hearing the crowd erupt into “God Save The Queen” nearly brought tears to my eyes. My entire life I have watched English Football on TV and dreamed of what it must be like to hear it live; well I got my chance and yes at times I was overwhelmed. Even the ear-drum bursting sounds of the Vuvuzelas were drowned out as the Barmy Army sang and the brass band trumpeted their non-stop tunes. Sections of the stadium never sat down! It was like a home game for the English as the red and white flags of St. Georges were fastened to the railings around the entire stadium. Each flag is imprinted with the town the fan comes from, or the team they support. Grimsby, Coventry, Wigan, Wimbledon, AVFC, Tottenham, Chester, Queens Park, Brentford etc.
England had the perfect start with Steven Gerrard scoring within a few minutes. It took a howler by English goalkeeper to ruin the party and level things for the Americans. It was only really then could one hear and see that the Americans had a sizable support in the crowd. The odd chant of U-S-A could be heard, especially as the game edged on and England looked less and less likely to take out the 3 points, but all in all the English dominated…in the stands at least; on the field the same unfortunately could not be said. England were at best very average and America left the stadium the much happier team.

I had had a dream day, a chance to see the best plays battle it out in the flesh in front of one of the most passionate fans bases. Getting home at 1:30am I crashed into bed feeling very happy but still feeling terribly sorry for the English goalkeeper, oh how the press will take him to town tomorrow in the papers…

EnglishKnights

World Cup Match Report: South Africa vs Mexico

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I’ve cycled to Cape Town twice mainly because one of my best mates Adam Bannister (tenuously related to Roger Bannister who ran the four minute mile) lives in Cape Town. He’s South African with English routes and is passionate about everything. And I mean everything football, Africa, wildlife, friends, family… He’s a great bloke and he was at the game.

He was at the game and this is his report:

SOCCER CITY

The big screen counted down from 60 seconds…59, 58, 57..7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…the FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 had officially been opened and there I was with my family watching from the stands of Africa’s biggest and most impressive Stadium. Nearly 90 000 people witnessed the event but in reality 500 million people around the world had their eyes glued to the happenings on the field.

Fighter jets flew synchronized overhead, dancers pranced over the field and pieces of fabric were woven into the shape of the world. Giant foot prints made their way across Africa and musicians including R-Kelly and Mandoza sang their hearts out. A giant Dung-beetle even rolled a football across the field. The crowd was euphoric…and the game had not yet begun.

When South Africa ran onto the field the sea of yellow from the stands went mad, this wave extended out of the stadium down the streets of Soweto, into Johannesburg, into the Fan Fests and into every corner of the country. The nation had been bitten by Bafana Bafana; even those who couldn’t care about football were watching this game. This game was different! This game was about a country that had at last found something to make them happy, something to unite all colours, something to remove all negativity, something to cheer about and something to be proud of. And we were proud!

Two moments will never leave me. One when our great National Anthem was played. The words echoed around the stadium and people clutched their hearts. It was about pride and belief. The moment was here when South Africa had proved to the World that we could do anything. And not just do anything, but do anything well! The next moment I will never forget as long as I live is the goal by Tshabalala. It was magnificent! I have never and, I mean never, seen or heard anything like the moments that followed that goal. I promise you that those astronauts sitting in the International Space Station would have heard the noise erupt. Even with earplugs the sound was deafening! And for those few minutes no one minded being deaf! People turned and hugged their unknown neighbours, high fives, whistles and back slaps…words simply can’t explain the emotions.

The joy was temporarily dented when Mexico equalized but then people got behind their team again. The reality was that a draw was an excellent result against a team ranked nearly 70 places above us. We had played with our hearts and fought off the nerves; all our players had done their very best and done us proud! They had given their all and the crowd had done their part too. At the end of the game I was exhausted…I felt like I had played every second. My voice was gone and my lips were bleeding from blowing my Vuvuzela so hard. But I did not care. I could not stop smiling inside. I had just witnessed and been part of the best day in South Africa’s history.

This country is united! This country is absolutely alive with passion! Our blood is Green and Gold!

SA MEXICO