Picture it: June 11, 2010. The FIFA World Cup is kicking off, and for the first time in its history, it’s kicking off on African soil. South African soil, to be exact.
The bafana bafana, South Africa’s beloved national team, is warming up under the lights of the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg. The air is thick with humidity and pulsing with the electric hum of thousands of vuvuzelas. Television viewers the world over will grow tired of their endless drone over the course of the tournament, but tonight, during the opening game of the tournament, their thrum is foreign and intoxicating.
South Africa’s first opponent is Mexico, a perennial knockout-round contender known for bringing a home-field advantage wherever it travels. And indeed, there is a sizable Mexican contingent present in this stadium, doing its best to drown out the South African vuvuzelas with its own noise. It’s fighting a losing battle, but it’s fighting all the same.
The game gets underway. South Africa struggles to handle Mexico’s intense pressure. It isn’t expected to win this game, and it passes the first half in a state of panic. Minutes tick by, and dangerous Mexican shots tick up.
But then, 10 minutes into the second half, there’s a moment of calm. South Africa finds a little rhythm in the center of the park, and Teko Modise finds midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala with an inch-perfect pass. Tshabalala takes a beat, aims and fires.
It’s a beautiful volley, one of the best he’ll ever strike, and it sails into the Mexican net to open the scoring in South Africa’s favor. The crowd goes wild; the vuvuzelas double in volume. The English commentators scream to be heard over the din. Goal for South Africa. Goal for all of Africa.