It appeared as though Argentina and Brazil were going to play the final of the World Cup on Sunday if one went by the build-up. All the chanting and jousting involved the South American football giants and not Germany.
The race to gain vocal supremacy outside the Maracana centred on numbers. Argentine fans kept reminding their Brazilian counterparts about the Selecao’s 1-7 defeat against Germany in the semi-final. Brazil supporters retorted by taking solace in their five titles compared to Argentina’s two.
The pitched battle continued until the kick-off with enchanting ditties about Maradona and Pele doing the rounds. “Maradona is the greatest,” crooned the Argentine contingent. Brazil’s response was: “Pele is the scorer of 1,000 goals while Maradona is a cocaine addict.”
Brazilian fans, who had been reduced to the role of cheerleaders, became honorary Germans for a day. Putting the humiliation they had suffered at the hands of Lahm and Co. in the semifinal behind them, they came out in force in favour of Argentina’s final opponents. Most of the them donned Mannschaft jerseys while some went to the extent of getting the Brazilian flag painted in the colours of Germany to irritate their neighbours.
Meanwhile, real German fans were in a state of calmness and confidence. Sigge, who made a dash across the Atlantic for the World Cup, said it was a long-held dream for him to see Germany win the coveted trophy. “I was present at Wembley when we claimed our last big trophy in Euro 1996. I hope I will go back to Stuttgart as world champion,” he said, flashing his match ticket.
Inside the Maracana, which had an attendance of 74,738, the stage belonged to the blue army of Argentina. Singing and dancing began right after Shakira belted out her favourite numbers.
A deathly silence descended on the Argentine section after Goetze struck the winner deep into extra time. At the end, Brazilian fans were the ones who were singing. They would forever be indebted to Germany for preventing Argentina from having a party at their expense. Maracanazo II has been averted. It was Germany's parting gift to the hosts.
