Brazil v Côte d'Ivoire

I had the good fortune to attend last night's World Cup match between Brazil and Côte d'Ivoire at Soccer City. The game ended 3-1, a victory for Brazil. I took some pictures of the whole experience:

1/25 Got to the stadium nice and early, although kick-off is only at 20:30. I wasn't the only one.

2/25 Some Brazil fans in the parking area.

3/25 A vendor of South African football paraphernalia.

4/25 A view of the stadium from the parking area.

5/25 "When the fans go marching in."
6/25 A view of the stadium from the road.

7/25 Riding high...

8/25 And now for my next trick...
9/25 Outer security.

10/25 DMZ.

11/25 Inner security.

12/25 Inside the Calabash.

13/25 The theme of this story.

14/25 Stadium filling up steadily. Team Côte d'Ivoire are on the pitch.

15/25 Both teams warming up before the match. Stadium quite full.

16/25 84,455 expectant fans.


17/25 The officials do some last-minute checks.18/25 The snappers get ready for their prey.

19/25 Getting the formalities out of the way.

20/25 Just before kick-off. The calm before the storm.

21/25 And they're off! First half action.

22/25 Half-time.

23/25 Second half action. Brazil entrenched in enemy territory. General Julio Cesar surveys the battlefield from the rear.

24/25 Game over: Côte d'Ivoire put up a brave fight, but ultimately Brazil secure a comfortable 3-1 win.

25/25 The Calabash of Light.

Blitzkrieg

Germany 4 - 0 Australia

Gary Lineker's definition of football comes to mind: "A simple game: 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win."

The Magic of Maradona

Yesterday afternoon, Argentina won their opening 2010 World Cup match against Nigeria by the slenderest of margins: one-nil. The goal came from a set-piece in only the sixth minute of the game, a corner swung in by Veron and met by a well-directed diving header by Heinze.

Messi was easily Argentina's best player. He displayed all the qualities football fans were hoping to see from him in this tournament: deft close control, explosive bursts of pace, mesmerising dribbles, visionary playmaking, and great shots on goal. It took several amazing saves from Enyeama, Nigeria's goalkeeper and the overall man of the match, to deny Messi the goals that would have crowned a memorable performance.

But the biggest star of the game was a short, paunchy, middle-aged man with a greying beard. He was dressed in a dark, finely-cut suit. He prowled the touchline throughout the game, frequently trotting over to retrieve balls that had gone out for a throw-in, before passing them into the outstretched hands of the thrower with a nonchalant flick of his shoe. His body was a living barometer of the match, capturing every twist and turn in its tissues; his face its display. In his playing days, the man had won universal acclaim as the greatest footballer of his generation. In the eyes of many, myself included, he is the greatest footballer of any generation. And yesterday we saw why: Maradona's passion for the game is undiminished; his presence on the field, even when he isn't playing, is undeniable; and his purpose, victory, is undaunted.

Ayoba South Africa!

South Africa 1 - 1 Mexico

Overall, a good performance by South Africa. And what an awesome goal by Siphiwe Tshabalala--the first World Cup goal ever scored on African soil. To put the result into context: Mexico is 17th in the FIFA rankings, whilst South Africa is 83rd! However, you couldn't have guessed that from the game.

Wavin' Flags

When I get older I will be stronger,
They'll call me freedom just like a wavin' flag
-K'naan

Ke Nako, the motto of this year's World Cup, is Sesotho for "It's time."

It's time for the flags to start wavin'.

Fever Pitch

South Africa is feverish, football feverish. This is what one of the largest shopping malls in the country looks like at the moment:

Click to enlarge and you can challenge yourself with a little game of Name the Flag.

It all kicks off on Friday.