We made it!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Match 3
Korea Republic 2 - 0 Greece
Johannesburg - JEP
Location watched: Periodic updates via iPhone en route to Rustenburg

Our odyssey continued after we arrived in Johannesburg. Surprisingly, the 10 hour flight from Madrid was pleasant. Neither of us expected to be fed on the flight, but Iberia Airlines provided both a dinner (served at 3:30am local time, of course) and a breakfast (about 6 hours later). We were seated in an exit aisle, so we had plenty of leg room. Additionally, we were in a section of the row that only had 2 seats—my buddy was against the window, and I had an aisle seat—so we were quite comfortable.

The flight had a very festive atmosphere. We saw national team shirts from Group C opponents Algeria, Slovenia, and England. Other shirts on board included Argentina, Germany, Brazil, Spain, and Chile. I am sure there were others, but those are what come instantly to mind. We were all in high spirits and looking forward to good times in South Africa.

Landing in Jo’burg was a lot like landing anywhere, really. We made it through Customs very quickly, which was both nice because we were pressed for time, yet terrifying because we breezed right through security. The process was very orderly and easy to follow.

The airport was awash in color and sound. We were greeted by a man wearing a “Porter” shirt and whisked to the upper level to get our match tickets. While I was in line at the ticket kiosk with all of our luggage, my friend went in search of an ATM to get our first Rand—the South African currency.

Now it was onto Rustenburg!


Match 4
Argentina 1 - 0 Nigeria
Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth
Location watched:  Periodic updates via iPhone en route to Rustenburg

We set off in search of transport to our match in Rustenburg.  The match started at 8:30pm, and it was now roughly 1pm.  We had to find our guest house to leave our bags, so there was an additional level of complexity.  We secured passage via a bus that would travel from the airport in Johannesburg to the stadium in Rustenburg.  My friend was certain that the guest house was fairly close to the stadium, so we felt we had plenty of time.

Then the trek started to come off the rails.  Firstly, we waited in the transport area for an uncomfortably long time.  When the bus started out towards Rustenburg, our driver became disoriented and took the wrong exit causing alarm throughout the cabin.  There were both US and England supporters on board and the various epithets emanating from the aisles of the bus painted a rich tapestry of obscenity never before witnessed by this author!

He figured out the proper route and we were soon back on track.  This proved to be short-lived, however.  Arriving in Rustenburg, we pulled into a mall parking lot to wait for the other buses from this transport company to arrive so we could continue to the stadium.  We waited.  And we waited.  Then we waited some more.  We were quickly running out of time.

Eventually, the other buses arrived, and we set off for the stadium, disembarking a mere 2 hours before kickoff.  My friend and I found a policeman and asked how to get to the address on our itinerary.  He told us it was back in the main part of the city, about 10 kilometers away.  We tracked down a cab, and told him we needed to take our bags to the guest house, then return to the match.  For the sake of time, let me just say we arrived back at the stadium with 15 minutes to spare.

… Whew…


Match 5
USA 1 – 1 England
Rustenburg Stadium
Location watched:  Rustenburg Stadium

After our harrowing journey, we were content to just find our seats immediately rather than soak up the atmosphere as we usually do.  The seats were on the far side of the stadium, behind what turned out to be the goal the US defended in the first half.  Within 5 minutes of finding our seats, the teams took the field for the anthems and kickoff.

The US started the match very shakily.  It appeared they were suffering from nerves.  They did not settle in until after England had scored in the 8th minute.  While not controlling the match, the US did enjoy some periods of possession and had a couple scoring chances in the middle part of the first half.

We finally caught a break.  A classic Clint Dempsey move freed him to shoot from about 22 yards.  His shot was struck at Robert Green, the England keeper, but hit the slick turf in front of him.  Green mis-handled the ball, then flailed at it as it squirted past him into the goal.  We had equalized!

England were stunned, but not as much as their supporters around us.  There was a stony silence followed by heaps of abuse.  These did not let up until the whistle sounded, ending the half. 

The second half produced more chances by both sides but no goals.  For the US, it was a fantastic result.

Now it was back to the Guest House for a good nights sleep—our first in almost 3 days.