KOCHI: Brazil V Spain is football’s holy grail. Age and gender notwithstanding, the clash between the Latinos and the Iberians always hog headlines as it’s not just a football match between two nations, but a clash of two footballing cultures. Ever since the fixture of the FIFA U-17 World Cup was announced, Kochi has been the focus of attention, courtesy the faceoff on the cards between the two titans which had the football fans salivating at the prospect. On Saturday evening, all the hype reached its crescendo. Joga Bonito vs Tiki-taka aka the beautiful game of Brazil against the short and crisp game of Spain.
Thousands 0f fans were present at the stadium to watch the amazing contest.Brazil got the maximum support from the gallery. Clad in their trademark yellow jersey and yellow headbands, the Brazil were up on their feet when the canaries went on the offensive. To be fair to the crowd, they also spared applause for Spain when their forwards Ferran Torres or Abel Ruiz scythed ahead with some intelligent and quick runs.
However, the spectator strength didn’t come anywhere near the huge turnout witnessed during the ISL matches. Though the stadium’s sanctioned seating capacity is 29,000, well below the 50,000 and 60,000 witnessed during crucial ISL matches, hundreds of seats were found lying vacant. But it didn’t dampen the spirit of the vociferous crowd who switched on their mobile flashlights and greeted with thunderous applause good moves by both the sides. About 21, 000 spectators were present at the stadium for the Brazil vs Spain match.
“We never know whether we could ever see such a match between the two sides in front of our eyes. I am a diehard Brazil fan but it didn’t deter me from supporting Spain when they launched some good attacks,” said Rahel Antony, who came all the way from Kozhikode.Spain had an upper hand in the first and the final 15 minutes while Brazil dominated the proceedings during the remainder of the match. The fans felt the match was evenly contested, but credited Brazil - the eventual winners- for putting on a more disciplined show. “Spain played well, but their passing left a lot to be desired. On the other hand, Brazil was more coordinated and played their natural game without hiccups,” said Prasanth, another fan.
The stadia witnessed Mexican waves many times as the beautiful moves unfolded. Even corner-kicks were cheered. Spain got five in a row, but all of those resulted in nothing except a lot of noise in the stands.Since morning all roads leading up to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium were filled with a fluorescent yellow, the vibrant shade of the Brazilian team. There was a sense of excitement in the air and majority of the fans was clad in yellow jerseys, yellow headbands and yellow face-paint. However, there were a couple of fans who wore the Barcelona jersey or sported Spain’s colours on their cheeks, but they virtually drowned in the sea of yellow.
“We have come to see Brazil’s match and they rose to our expectations. Though Spain scored first, our team got back right into the game and finally registered a facile victory,” said Muneer from soccer-crazy Malappuram, who along with his friends didn’t stay back to watch the day’s second match.
Curiously, some of the fans were seen holding aloft a banner supporting North(DPR) Korea along with a poster of the hermit state’s ruler Kim Jong-un.
Metro proves its worth
The Kochi Metro proved its worth in easing the traffic congestion in the city since a majority of the spectators used the service to reach the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, the main venue of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup. Fans from Thrissur said they had parked their vehicles at Aluva and took the Metro to reach the stadium, which reduced the parking and traffic woes to a great extent. The Metro trains were crammed with football fans. Considering the rush, KMRL had opened additional ticket counters in front of the stadium and deployed employees in front of the stadium to guide the spectators. Besides, the metro services have been extended till 11 pm.