African Teams Band Together in Spoiler Role
BRASÍLIA — It is Sunday in Brasília. The nation’s capital has the air of a city that was out of date even as it was being built. This may have been the city of the future, but now it looks as if it belongs to the past. In the afternoon sun, many of the older, concrete high-rises look shabby compared with their new, glass-fronted neighbors.
On Monday, Estádio Nacional hosts the Seleção, Brazil’s national team, for the first time in this tournament. Against Cameroon, Brazil must win to ensure it comes out on top of its group. For Cameroon, after two defeats, it is now a question of earning an honorable draw. The supporters, mostly Brazilian, have turned up early, hoping to catch a glimpse of both teams in training. This is the stadium as a temple of soccer.
The fans rush to the gate but then form an orderly line. This is not the practice in the rest of Latin America.
“I have no idea why the African nations have started so slowly,” says a Cameroon fan waiting to get inside.
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Much has been expected of Cameroon. Twenty-four years ago, the Indomitable Lions lit up an otherwise drab World Cup in Italy. A victory in the opening match, against Maradona’s Argentina, was superseded by a near knockout of England in the quarterfinals.
On Saturday, Ghana showed the best of Africa and pushed the proficient Germans (ever the tournament specialists) to the limit. After a disappointing opening match in which they lost, 2-1, to the United States, the Ghanaians looked tactically astute and physically impressive.
Miroslav Klose’s 70th-minute equalizer — which equaled Ronaldo’s World Cup goal-scoring record — may have gained all the headlines, but there was another important moment.
Just before the final whistle, Thomas Müller clashed with John Boye as Boye headed a last-ditch free kick. The match now over, both players lay on the ground. Müller’s face was covered in blood.
That moment seemed to say it all for a resurgent Africa at this World Cup.
Before they leave — expectations on making the tournament’s final hurdle seem remote — the African nations are keen to dash the hopes of certain European and Latin American teams.
There is a solidarity among the African nations here. Even the Algerians are being cheered on by their continental neighbors. But there remains a unique affection for the hosts.
“You have to remember that Brazil is the spiritual home for African football,” the Cameroon fan says before leaving to find an easier way into the stadium.
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