An England game is usually an emotional rollercoaster – even moreso when you have tickets riding on it. I knew I’d see the winners of England’s group in the second round, and whilst I’m not the most fanatical England fan, when you come halfway round the world it’s good to see your own team.
All was going well: England needed to win by a greater margin than America to top the group. Jermain Defoe’s early goal had given England a slender lead, but America were missing an enormous top hat-full of chances against Algeria. England had several opportunities to extend the lead: Frank Lampard fired a great chance over, Defoe failed to make contact from six yards, and Wayne Rooney struck a post when played onside in front of goal. And yet, America still could not score. The full-time whistle blew, and we celebrated. England were through, and due to finish top. We’d see them in Rustenburg.
The big screen flickered, and suddenly the picture switched to a group of American players, diving on the floor in celebration. Landon Donovan had scored with a stoppage time equaliser. The dream, briefly, was over.
As consolation prizes go, heading to Soccer City to watch Germany vs Ghana is up there. There was a hell of an atmosphere, with fans celebrating and partying together:
I can’t understate how friendly everyone has been. The South Africans are incredibly welcoming, and there is a bond between football fans here of all nations. There is a mutual understanding between nations about how much saving and scheming it takes to get here, and all everybody wants is to join a great big football party.
The game was pretty entertaining for the first hour. Then Ghana seemed to get wind of Australia’s 2-0 lead over Serbia, and were content to play out the remaining minutes to qualify in second. Still, Soccer City is an extraordinary stadium, and it was fantastic to attend my first World Cup game.
That meant our tickets would be valid for USA vs Ghana – a chance to see the one remaining African nation in the knockout stages. I’m not one to complain, but there was a tinge of frustration at missing out on the chance to watch England.
Until about 2am this morning, that is. After hours of searching online and calling in favours from the great, the good, and the decidedly dodgy, we suddenly became aware that there were tickets available. From FIFA. I still have no idea why. I don’t care.
The next few days hold USA v Ghana and England v Germany. I’ve had worse weekends.
Great flavour of the occasion.
Eboue loves a good dance, doesn’t he?
[...] come across fans from all nations. In the past couple of days we’ve met grumpy Argentinians, dancing Ghanaians, drunk Englishmen and boisterous [...]