Rollercoaster match
June 22, 2014
The journey to a football stadium is always more interesting when your companions are painted in the colors of their country's flag. I catch a taxi with Markus, Christoph, and Martin from Karlsruhe. They are all proudly covered in black, red and yellow body paint and have ‘Deutschland' written across their bellies, at least when they stand in the right order.
Like many German fans, they are full of hope ahead of kick-off. A crushing victory over Portugal, coupled with Ghana's somewhat surprising defeat against the USA, means the Germans who have made their way to Fortaleza see nothing but a victory ahead.
"It will be 5-0," Christoph predicts. Martin goes for a more conservative 3-1, as does the amused taxi driver. Markus is more conflicted. He has a ticket to a quarter-final match, which Germany might appear in if they come second in the group. He thinks the upcoming game will be tough, and for good reason. If nothing else, Germany have to cope with the conditions to secure another big victory.
Fortaleza is a sweltering city. Located on the northeast coast of Brazil, just over 250 miles south of the equator, the temperature is a steady 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) from mid-morning to late evening. It's not unbearable, but hot enough to make the Karlsruhe trio happy to be in the stands rather than on the pitch. Ahead of the match, some early cloud-cover suggested rain was on the way, perhaps bringing some relief for the players. But by midday the sun is once again beating down on those making their way to the game.
The fortress
Fortaleza's Arena Castelão stadium is a sight to behold, both outside and in. The fearsome exterior was clearly designed with the name of the city, which means "fortress," in mind.
As we approach the stadium, my new friends have plenty of companions. Along with the sizeable contingent of travelling German fans, a surprising number of locals have taken to wearing Germany kits. Ghana's representation here is meager in comparison, but in truth Fortaleza hasn't been taken over by one set of fans, as has been the case wherever South and Central American teams have played. The result is a stadium with plenty of neutrals, and a sense that the bulk of the supporters would be happy with a good game, regardless of the final score.
Despite the prevalence of Germany shirts over Ghanaian ones, the near-capacity crowd of just under 60,000 responds more to the African team. When they force the first big chance of the match on 12 minutes, it is met by raucous cheers around the ground. But by half-time, with no goals on the board, the atmosphere has subsided somewhat.
That doesn't last long in this rollercoaster match. Two goals within 10 minutes of the restart have the crowd back in full voice, and when Ghana take the lead just after the hour mark, there is no doubt that the neutrals are behind them. This is the underdog effect in full swing; with Jogi Löw's team among the favorites and considered a rival to Brazil, even the locals wearing Germany shirts have swapped their allegiance.
Switching sides
And there is more than one reason for them to be unhappy with Miroslav Klose's equalizer. Aside from their new-found love for Ghana, the veteran striker's tap-in brings him level with Brazilian legend Ronaldo on 15 World Cup goals. That might be no way for Klose to endear himself to the locals, but the Germans are delighted and those around me up the noise level once again.
With darkness already drawing in and the final whistle approaching, the atmosphere becomes even more intense. The boos and cheers get louder and the tension builds, but neither side can force a winner and the Castelão crowd has to settle for a draw. The Brazilians are more than happy with how the match panned out, four goals and a stumble from Germany mean they head home satisfied with both the entertainment and the result.
They continue to join in with the Ghana chants as they make their way to the exits. As for the Ghanaians who have made the journey to Fortaleza, they are delighted with their team's performance.
"We dominated the game," a Ghana fan called John tells me. "Germany are a solid team, but they couldn't cope with the Black Stars. We'll beat Portugal and get out of the group."
The lads from Karlsruhe are considerably more disheveled than when I left them. The letters on their stomachs are now smeared across their bellies, and one of them is missing his sunglasses. But they are still hopeful about Germany's chances.
"We'll win the World Cup anyway," proclaims the ever-optimistic Christoph. For his sake, I hope this prediction turns out to be more accurate than his last one.