Sport | Football
A time to make friends in Dubai
It was a big draw at the Fun Park at the Convention Centre. The numbers of supporters, the number of flags distributed and jerseys sold, were almost the same for both Germany and Argentina at the screening of the quarterfinal showdown.
- By Vikram Singh Barhat, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 July 2, 2006
Dubai: It was a big draw at the Fun Park at the Convention Centre. The numbers of supporters, the number of flags distributed and jerseys sold, were almost the same for both Germany and Argentina at the screening of the quarterfinal showdown.
The difference, however, lay in the decibels. The Argentine fans far out-screamed their German counterparts. They banged their drums harder. Shouted and sang their support louder and even had a bullhorn which was used to taunt the German fans.
The arena was packed to the rafters, half an hour before the kick-off. Supporters trooped in with flags, pompoms, horns and war paint.
There were young and old. And tots and totties. Many with prams and walking sticks. Nothing was going to stop them from watching the all-important quarterfinal.
One of them, Chris pecker, a German supporter, said: "Today we are going to thrash Argentina, because Germany is on a comeback trail. After a shaky start in the tournament they have improved quite rapidly."
So charged was the atmosphere that he felt that the World Cup spirit of Germany has caught up in Dubai too.
Like many of his compatriots, Chris too "doubted if the German team can sail through to semifinals". "But they have really turned things around in this Word Cup," he said.
Unlike many German fans in Dubai, Chris didn't mind not being in Germany one bit. "I will celebrate tonight just like people in Germany will, he assured."
In a funny hat in German colours, the German predicted the final score to be 4-1 to Germany.
Sami Inam, an Argentina supporter from Pakistan, however, was more balanced in his opinion. "It is a classic clash. I have been watching World Cup football for many years and I know that an encounter between these two countries is huge.
"I think the match is going to go into penalty shootouts," predicted Sami like an expert. Pretty right, indeed, as the match did go all the way to penalty shootouts where Germany edged out Argentina 4-2, after the fulltime and the extra time failed to break the deadlock.
After the fierce but infertile first half, Argentina did not waste time as Roberto Ayala headed the ball past the Argentine goalie to score the first goal, within minutes into the second half.
For a while it seemed the game had swung Argentina's way until Klose scored the equaliser for Germany.
It was no looking back for the Germans from there. The match went right down to the wire where the krauts kicked their way into the semifinals beating Argentina 4-2 on penalties.
A capacity crowd at the Fun Park was kept at the edge of their seats right until the end as they watched the drama unfurl amid a constant roll of the drums, which was only occasionally punctuated by gasps and chants of A-R-GEN-TINA and Ole Ole Ole!!
Like Hamburg here too it was A Time To Make Friends.
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