2-0 is the result of the Argentina-Australia match this Thursday evening in Beijing. With a goal from Lionel Messi and German Pezzella in front of a Workers’ stadium entirely in the colors of Albiceleste.
With our correspondent in Beijing, Stephane Lagarde
It was a friendly match, but the Workers’ stadium has rarely known such fervor. Plus a seat in the stands heated to 40°C. The dance of the water jets wakes up the pitch just before kick-off. Here we go ! 1mn20 of game: goal of Lionel Messi… The stadium of Beijing literally implodes. The 51,385 spectators came for him.
>> To read also: Football: Messi madness in Beijing for the Argentina-Australia match
“ I’ve loved this player for more than ten years, confides Mr. Lin, an architect in Xian in the center of the country. And there he comes to China in person. I took a ticket in the VIP area. It cost me over 2300 euros and I had to resort to connections to get it. It’s pricey, but really, really worth it. Because I want to see my idol. »
16,000 yuan VIP place, the Workers’ Stadium has never been so badly named. But in a Chinese football plagued by scandals and corruption where the national team did not qualify for the World Cup, Messi is a real resurrection. Football fans from all over China chant his name whenever the Argentina international is within three meters of the ball. Like other markers of social life, sport and especially football was greatly missed during the Covid years in China. Chinese fans savor this high-level meeting
In the second half, just before Argentina’s second goal from German Pezzella, a stranger burst onto the pitch wearing a blue and white striped T-shirt. The man takes Lionel Messi in his arms, before being caught by security guards. Again, the spectators exult. The game can resume. Noyanshi comes from Sichuan in the west of the country. Young unemployed graduate, she won her lottery ticket. “ I won this ticket on the platform, I’m so lucky. The fans are white-hot, it was definitely worth the trip. There is no issue of a CWorld Cup, it’s true, but there’s Messi and the atmosphere is magical. »
Leo Messi responded to hand-picked fans on e-commerce platform Taobao for 10 minutes this afternoon before the match. Messi on tattoos, goodies and autographed photos of the star sold for 100 yuan – nearly 14 euros – leaving the stadium. “ These are real “, ask an interested party ? The seller kicks in touch: “ it’s memories that make you happy “, he says, while his client is grabbed by an army of number 10 T-shirts in the colors of Argentina. The avenues around the stadium are in a few minutes transformed by an Albiceleste tide channeled by barriers. 10,000 police were mobilized for the event, according to the organizers.
Number 10 cloned by tens of thousands of spectators who spent between 300 and 2000 euros instead. The workers’ stadium has never been so badly named, even if some have won their lottery ticket. pic.twitter.com/XQjivhv4ru
— Stephane Lagarde (@StephaneLagarde) June 15, 2023