Fans React to Argentina vs. Nigeria Match
The Group B matches of the Football World Cup provided the first two results of the tournament, after two draws in Group A on the opening day of the tournament.
While the South Koreans mauled the poor Greek side by two goals, two time champions Argentina recorded maximum points after edging out the “Super Eagles”, Nigeria, by a solitary goal in the second match of the day played at the Ellis Park in Johannesburg before a boisterous crowd.
Argentine fans celebrated their team’s stupendous show, after the best player in the world, Barcelona star Lionel Messi, delighted countless fans with a captivating individual performance.
However, the diminutive striker missed a couple of sitters, and it was left to Gabriel Heinze to secure maximum points for his team with a stunning header of a corner, in the sixth minute of the match.
"I wanted to see more goals, but one goal was okay to win the first match - it was really, really great," said one fan in downtown Johannesburg.
Heinze scored the winner early in the match, off a corner taken by veteran Juan Sebastian Veron.
Despite his stunning moves, though, Messi failed to score even once in the match. However, he had his share in the only goal of the match, with a superb chip tipped over by Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama for the corner.
On the other hand, the Nigerian supporters were proud of their team’s effort in trying circumstances.
"We made a very silly mistake in the first minute, at the end of the day they punished us," said one Nigerian fan, but most Nigerians weren't too disappointed, saying they were still in the Cup.
"I am promising every African not to worry - we are going to get the Cup, the Cup is not going to leave Africa," said one Nigeria fan, Richard.
The Nigerians found support from the hosts, as thousands of Johannesburg residents came out to support their fellow Africans.
The change in the attitude of the Africans marked the spirit of the occasion, and how it has acted as a catalyst in bringing together the people of the poorest continent in the world.
The support for the Nigerians was in sharp contrast to the xenophobia which has sometimes confronted Nigerian immigrants in South Africa in the past.
"We had fun at the stadium; the atmosphere was great [and] everyone was loving it. We were supporting Nigeria all the way, but unfortunately they didn't make it. But we still support all the African countries, and South Africa is going to do it on Wednesday. We believe in them, and we believe they are going to go far in this World Cup," said South African fan Philisiwe.
A large population of Nigerians, estimated at about 250,000, live in South Africa.
The supporters of the “Super Eagles”, who watched the match in a sponsored centre, hoped that their team would do well against Greece in their next game on Tuesday.
The confidence in the team increased after the abject surrender of the Greek team against the South Korean in a match that preceded the Argentina-Nigeria clash.
"I was afraid when Nigerians were talking about Argentina, Messi; my premonition was we are going to lose the match with three, four goals margin, but you can see the difference that Nigeria performed very well. If we can go ahead with these kinds of [tactics] and agility in them we can go a certain level in the World Cup," said Mike Nwabueze.
What remains to be seen is if the Africans can make an impression in the tournament and proceed to the next round of the competition.
For that to happen, they would have to beat Greece first, and then hope that they somehow clip the wings of the high flying South Koreans.
Let us see how high the “Super Eagles” fly in South Africa.
Quotes REUTERS VIDEO POINT
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