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| Shakira and Brazil singer Ivete Sangalo during the Confederations Cup final match between Brazil and Spain at the Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro. (Reuters Photo) |
Trains coming from the city centre are off-loading hordes of Brazilian fans in national colours at three stations near the Maracana. On the pavement, two urchins are dribbling a ragged ball while chanting "tiki-taka, tiki-taka".
On all the street corners in Tijuca, where the stadium is located, cops in heavy gear are standing behind the
barricades. There are rumours of a massive protest rally. In the media lounge, an English journalist sniggers at Ronaldo the Phenomenon's prediction: "3-0 for Brazil". A Dutch veteran wonders why the Brazilians are so "cocky, just like they were in 1950s."
Several ghosts - from the past and present - are lurking around the Maracana as the closing ceremony unfolds. As dancers in their fantasy dresses twirl on the pitch, some old Brazilian reporters talk about that day in July 1950 when Brazil lost the World Cup final to Uruguay here and sent the country into a collective trauma. Some foreign correspondents are whispering about tear-gas from the streets filtering into the stadium. But the crowd - 78,000 people - is shouting "Brazil, Brazil".
Now, the ball is rolling. It's the second minute of the game when Fred, lying on the grass, clips the ball into the net. Maracana erupts as Fred, Neymar and the whole team run towards the stands. The bench joins them as the players hug their fans who are screaming with ecstasy. It's just two minutes and the Maracana is already declaring victory.
An old song, "The champions are back," is echoing so loudly in the stands that even a TV reporter sitting in a chopper above the stadium says he is "getting goose bumps" . Then the crowd breaks into another chant: "Ole, Ole".
As the end of the first quarter approached , Alvaro Arbeloa upends Neymar . As the Dutch referee Kuipers shows the yellow card, the crowd shouts: "Cartao vermelho, cartao vermelho (red card)".
That shout dies down quickly and as Neymar sends a sizzler into the net in the 41st minute and makes a dash to the stands, the Maracana is drowned in the collective chants of "Neymar, Neymar" . The Maracana - and Brazil - have found their new hero.
A few hundred protesters outside the stadium have been sent home. Television is reporting about street parties all over the country. Journos are asking Ronaldo if he wants to revise his prediction to 4-0.
The second half begins and Fred, a darling of the Rio crowd, does it again with a curling shot and the team and the bench are back with the crowd.
The Maracana wants a massacre. As Gerard Pique fouls against Neymar and shown the red, the stadium chanted "Bruna 3, Shakira 0." Bruna is Neymar's girlfriend. Shakira, Pique's partner.
The clock ticks towards the final whistle but the tiki-taka is still failing to rhyme. The party is on at the stands.
3: The 3-0 loss was only the third Spain has suffered under Vicente del Bosque and followed a 2-0 loss to the USA at the 2009 Confederations Cup and a 1-0 defeat by Switzerland in group play at the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa. It was Spain's heaviest defeat in a competitive match since 1985.
Culled from: Times of India.
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