In a match filled with many nostalgic moments, illustrious former soccer stars playing for a European combination gained a 3-1 win over the African XI in what was billed as ”The Battle of the Legends” at a rain-swept Ellis Park on Saturday night.
And no one demonstrated the ingrained skills any better than Italy’s Roberto di Matteo, whose scorching 21st- and 36th-minute goals gave the Europeans a 2-0 half-time lead and might well have graced the World Cup contests in which he appeared a decade or so ago.
For the rest, the soccer was played mainly at what was a slow-motion pace, with the Europeans clearly the more accomplished, cohesive and sophisticated combination and seemingly coasting for much of the second period.
The Netherlands’ Gerald Vanenburg made it 3-0 in the 58th minute to seal the issue and former world footballer of the year George Weah scored a consolation goal for the Africans in the 65th minute.
The torrential rain in Johannesburg for much of the day contributed to the crowd being limited to a modest 6 000 or so, but it would be wrong to regard this kind of contest as more than an appealing novelty — or to take it too seriously.
It was, nevertheless, disturbing that three of Africa’s most renowned footballers, Abedi Pele, Roger Milla and Tony Yeboah, failed to make an appearance after widespread publicity that they would be participating in a contest in aid of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.
As the legs began to tire in the second half, substitutions were enacted in what Americans call ”a dime a dozen”, with some players going off the pitch and then returning at a later stage.
The African XI coach, Jomo Sono, added some light relief to the occasion by coming on as a substitute himself in the 68th minute and he received the utmost courtesy from opponents who gave him ”the freedom of the park”.
The African XI was dominated by South African players, with former Mamelodi Sundowns star Ernest Chirwali an industrious influence in midfield and Doctor Khumalo performing some of his old virtuoso tricks on the left flank. — Sapa