One of our forum regulars “Robmac” lives in South Africa, as the J&S World Cup Correspondent, (or at least he is now), he wrote us up a blog of his experience the being at the host nation’s opening game. I hope there’s more Rob! 🙂
Enjoy.
My day started yesterday at 04:00 am not as a result of insomnia but with an air of anticipation. I could not help thinking that SA had finally pulled off what the rest of the world had doubted an African country would be able to achieve. I had to go passed the office before I could make my way to the stadium and was amazed that at 06:30 in the morning the fans were already decked out in South African soccer kit, scarves, flags, and blowing their vuvuzela’s (African plastic trumpet). While I was working (or trying to) I could not help thinking that a nation that was a sporting outcast 20 odd years ago had come so far as to be hours away from hosting the biggest game of in the rainbow nations history.
Transport was obviously going to be a problem as it seemed that the entire nation was on its way to the stadium the euphoria was there for all to see, everyone was beside themselves and the national pride was evident for all to see. I only had internet photos of Blues visit to Cardiff for the play-offs and could only imagine what that must of felt like but when you arrive at Soccer City the sense of what had been achieved in just 4 years actually overwhelms you.
The first 20 minutes of the game I had a nasty feeling that the Mexicans were not here to be a bit player in a South African victory, wave after wave of attacks were repulsed whilst the South Africans were trying to find there feet, most of the SA side were local players and they were battling to deal with the crowd expectation.
Slowly the tide started to turn and although SA had reached half time lucky to be level, you could feel that the crowd was going to carry them during the second half. South Africa’s tactics had not worked during the first 45 minutes with the long ball being cut out by the Mexicans.
The second half started with a much more up beat passing game and the pace of the South African attack started to punch holes in the Mexican defence although the old curse of mediocre finishing was still evident. Then out of the blue a quick range of passes in the mid field set up Sipiwe Tshabala who ran on to a perfect through ball from mid field and crashed the ball into the back of the net, I really thought the roof had come off the stadium, the crowd went ballistic.
Could the hosts hold on, would we register the dream win that the nation was expecting, time would tell. Instead of maintaining the attack, the South Africans took their foot of the gas – and with the introduction the two extra strikers – Mexico were showing that they were not going to give in. With approximately 10 minutes to go Aaron Mokoena, the South African, was slow to move up on the offside trap and the Mexicans equalised. In past internationals that would have been met with the dropping of heads and an inevitable winner for the opposition, but Bafana Bafana were on a 12 match unbeaten run and they were not about to let the opposition bring that to an end. With 1 minute of the game to go Mphela was chasing down a long ball and hit the post which would have won the game for SA but it was not to be.
What a game, what a day, what a tournament this is going to be. I arrived home late after all the festivities I am exhausted and totally deaf from the vuvuzelas. Got to go the England game in Rustenburg is the next gem today.
Rob
like a robdog, woof