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Ecuadorians rock Gelsenkirchen
June 9th, 2006
After Ecuador’s 2-0 win over Poland, I didn’t reach my hotel room in Cologne until 2.00 am. I had to wait a long time for a bus from Gelsenkirchen’s stadium to the main train station. Then I had to connect two trains to return to Cologne.
I was so exhausted that I hardly remember tucking in to bed.
But is it worth it? You bet. Being at a World Cup finals match takes some topping.
The game didn’t kick off until 9.00 pm but I got into Gelsenkirchen nice and early. I figured that people in the stadium would be able to see the Germany v Costa Rica match.
Gelsenkirchen and Kaiserslautern are the only two cities hosting World Cup matches that don’t get a special mention in my Lonely Planet guide. So you’d imagine that they’re not exactly tourist traps.
I have to admit, I only knew two things about Gelsenkirchen before today: it is the home of Bundesliga team Schalke 04; and it has an industrial history.
But my brief glimpse of it was not unpleasant. A lot of it is leafy and the wide shopping mall outside the main train station is quite agreeable.
On the bus to the stadium, you can see evidence of Gelsenkirchen’s industrial life. You could also see a lot of German flags hung from windows. It has finally arrived folks.
Throughout the day, there was excellent flavour among the fans. I made myself quite popular by taking photos of Poles and Ecuadorians posing together. Despite the enthusiasm of the yellow-shirted South Americans, they were heavily outnumbered. This was effectively a home game for Poland – the stadium was red and white with just a wedge of yellow behind one corner flag.
The gates opened at 5.00 pm and I have to admit to being thrilled just to get in to the ground. It’s an outstanding stadium (I suppose they all are) and despite having a Category 3 ticket, I thought my view was great (Category 1 must be magnificent).
I was behind the goal that Poland attacked in the first half (to the left of the screen if you saw the game on television). I was nicely elevated and in line with the touchline that would have been on the far side for television viewers. My view was not obstructed.
The stadium has television screens that hang well over the centre circle and, as I’d expected, the Germany – Costa Rica match was televised.
I’ve never enjoyed a World Cup opening match so much. Not only was it refreshing to see a lively encounter, I was able to watch it with thousands of other fans all behaving as if they were actually at the game, not just watching it on a screen.
Of course, there were a lot of Germans there. It’s been so difficult for them to get tickets to their home World Cup. The nice couple next to me were Germans and this was the only success they had in their applications through FIFA’s website.
There was a massive roar when Germany scored the first goal of the match – even though the stadium in Gelsenkirchen couldn’t have been more than 10% full. The Polish players walked out onto the field just before Miroslav Klose gave the Germans a 3-1 lead. It was quite funny watching them move to a point on the pitch where they could see a replay of the goal.
There didn’t seem to be any empty seats when the Poland – Ecuador match kicked off. After all the difficulties created by the scarcity of tickets, that was a relief.
The Polish fans made a tremendous amount of noise. The Ecuadorians did their best but they were heavily outnumbered. The atmosphere was just incredible and beyond my wildest expectations. If you’ve never had the live World Cup experience, I really hope you get the chance one day. It’s something that all football fans should be able to enjoy.
Poland’s players could not, however, do justice to their fans’ support. I had expected the Poles to win this game, mainly because they would feel like the home team and Ecuador’s results away from home in the CONMEBOL qualifiers weren’t great.
But on the evidence of the 90 minutes in Gelsenkirchen, the Poles will be going home fairly quickly. They enjoyed some good possession but in attack they’re about as sharp as a bowling ball.
There was an amazing reaction when Carlos Tenorio gave Ecuador a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute. The Germans in the stadium had been fairly quiet after the match in Munich ended. However they all adopted the underdog and joined Ecuador’s fans in roaring their approval.
The Ecuadorians surprised and impressed me. I can’t imagine them playing in Berlin on 9 July but they are now well placed for a spot in the last 16. At times they seemed more like a team from northern Europe – not afraid to play quick, long balls forward and the first goal looked like it might have been a rehearsed set piece. When they break forward, they do so skilfully and intelligently.
The goal that killed Poland off in the 80th minute by Agustin Delgado (who was named player of the match) finished a glorious move. The Poles hit the frame of the goal twice in the closing minutes but even a single goal would have flattered their misfiring attack.
Ecuador’s fans were rocking when the final whistle went. To date, this is their team’s finest performance at a World Cup finals match. It may not be a massive upset, but it’s an upset nonetheless.
Leaving the stadium, I was pleased to see that the camaraderie between rival fans remained in tact. Disappointed Poles were quick to congratulate the joyous South Americans.
As already mentioned, it was a long way back to the hotel room. But I already can’t wait to attend Trinidad & Tobago v Sweden.
The World Cup is intoxicating.
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