It wasn’t only a soccer match. It was a love letter to the previous. On Sunday, below the glowing floodlights of the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, El Clasico returned. Not in its blistering, modern-day type although, however via the lens of reminiscence.
Indian soccer followers acquired a style of the storied rivalry as legends, who as soon as lit up the Santiago Bernabeu and the Camp Nou, battled it out on Indian soil.
The power was unmistakable. Tens of hundreds gathered exterior the stadium, draped within the crisp whites of Madrid or the blaugrana (purple and blue) stripes of Barcelona. These had been followers who as soon as stayed up via the evening to catch glimpses of Carles Puyol diving into tackles, Luis Figo ghosting previous defenders, or Fernando Morientes slotting it previous goalkeepers with ease.
Lengthy earlier than the gamers stepped onto the sector, the air was already electrical. Youngsters zipped via the group of their favourite jerseys, dragging their mother and father alongside, or possibly it was the opposite manner round. Whereas the youngsters squealed in pleasure on the considered watching their heroes reside, one couldn’t assist however marvel: had been they extra thrilled, or had been their mother and father reliving the magic of their very own fandom, keenly awaiting the possibility to see the celebrities they as soon as worshipped on TV?
Because the gamers took the sector, the cheers matched the noise of the fireworks. Carles Puyol – that 2010 World Cup-winning captain and the one who led the Tiki-Taka stars – nonetheless radiating defiance; Xavi, the midfield metronome; Rivaldo, the Brazilian who paired up with Ronaldo to win the 2002 World Cup. On the Actual Madrid facet, Luis Figo was able to tear up the flanks, Michael Owen, all the time lurking; and Fernando Morientes, the standard poacher who would quickly roll again the years with a crisp, composed aim after receiving an immaculate flick from Figo himself.
On the eve of the match, star Portuguese defender Pepe spoke about how the aim of the Legends matches wasn’t simply to compete, but additionally to entertain.
“This match, at the same time as a Legends recreation, can do loads for Indian soccer. It will possibly encourage youngsters to play, to dream,” he would say.
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And so they did simply that. Listed below are glimpses of what followers had been handled to: Figo nutmegging Puyol on the sting of the field with the Spanish defender combating again to have the final chuckle; Michael Owen and Morientes combining up entrance, with the previous even attempting a flip round with finesse to launch his strike accomplice; Rivaldo unleashing his stellar left-footed shot from exterior the field and on one other occassion, attempting a backflick to seek out his teammate contained in the field; Xavi completely leaving a purple scorching warmth mark within the midfield, even attempting a fragile again flick from the sting of the field.
The tempo might have been gentler, and the touches and tackles lighter, however the artistry remained.
Madrid’s David Barral confirmed such artistry when he doubled his crew’s lead. A slick solo transfer left Puyol and Frank de Boer trailing, sealing the two–0 victory for Actual Madrid Legends. However nobody was protecting rating. Which El Clasico would you see Barcelona followers cheering Madrid targets, Madrid followers applauding Barca’s flicks?
Even the pitch had its share of tiny, cute invaders—youngsters. In the course of the match, two younger women made a daring (and albeit cute) try and step onto the sector. However it was after the ultimate whistle that issues acquired actually entertaining: three boys launched a daring sprint previous safety, dodging and weaving with strikes that might make any rugby coach proud. They had been all finally caught – grinning all the way in which – however one fortunate lad scored massive. His fearless dash caught the attention of Madrid legend Christian Karembeu, who rewarded the trouble with a gesture to recollect: he handed the boy his jersey.
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DY Patil Stadium has seen cricketing milestones and rock live shows however on Sunday evening, soccer followers had been handled to a reminiscence that may reside on; an evening when legends walked and Navi Mumbai walked with them.
