Win or lose, it’s fit to print: The story of the World Cup, as told through newspaper headlines from around the world.
Ayoba, Mzansi!” proclaimed The Star newspaper in Johannesburg the day after the World Cup started, evoking the distinctly South African slang used to convey warmth and excitement.
On June 12, after Korea won against Greece in the tournament’s second match, the Joongang Daily of Seoul wrote, “There was nothing to stop Korean young warriors,” while O Filathlos in Athens declaimed to its country’s warriors, “Giriste piso!” — “Come back home!”
The big match of that day was the US against England. “World Cup tie feels like a win,” noted the Chicago Sun-Times, whereas the Sunday Mirror showed the ashamed face of the goalkeeper who had blown an easy save, above the headline, “Hand of Clod.”
“Preocupante!” — “Worrisome!” cried O Estado de Sao Paulo after mighty Brazil beat North Korea (105th ranked country according to FIFA) by a meager 2-1 score. With similarly ominous foreshadowing, after Mexico beat France, L’Union Journal in Reims prognosticated: “Les bleus ont un pied dans la tombe” — “The French have one foot in the grave.”
When the Spanish, one of the favourites, lost to Switzerland, El Mundo of Madrid couldn’t resist macroeconomic wordplay: “Swiss speculators trigger Spanish risk.” The European debt troubles proved to be a durable motif: after Greece beat Nigeria 2-1, the Athens-based journal Apogevmatini displayed, on the top half of its front page, pained victims of the Greek crisis, and on the bottom half, joyful Greek fans: “Greece that hurts… and Greece that smiles.”
Delo’s headline in Slovenia on 18 June read, “Igra, ki dovoljuje sanje” — “Game that allowed us to dream.” That was after the game against the US in which Slovenia led 2-0 before surrendering two, and nearly three, second-half goals. The next day, June 19, Al Massa in Algeria proudly announced about their national team’s tie that “The fighters of the desert tore down the Englishmen’s arrogance…”
Of Portugal’s 7-0 dismantling of North Korea, the Correio de Manha in Lisbon wrote, “This is a festival, not just football!” Still, another headline, finding the cloud behind every silver lining, might have gotten the real heart of the matter, recognising that a match against Brazil lay in wait: “Did we waste all our goals?” it asked.
After Greece was ousted by Argentina, To Vima wrote of the game, “The last tango.” And after the US’ incredible last-minute goal against Algeria, the New York Times wrote, “Desperate hope, dramatic ending.”
“Tutto finito!” — “It’s all done,” blasted La Gazzetta dello Sport in Milan with operatic oratory after the Italians were eliminated in the first round. La Repubblica in Rome was harsher: “Mai cosi brutti” — “It’s never been this ugly.”
Japan beat Denmark 3-1 to qualify for the second round. “A night Japanese snipers shined,” wrote Sankei Sports in Tokyo. When Korea lost against Uruguay, Hankyoreh in Seoul observed that “Korea couldn’t overcome the wall of Uruguay,” and Chosun Daily toasted honor in defeat: “We’ve been so happy, thanks to you, Korean team. A huge applause to your tears.”
“All Africa rejoices!” said The Ghanaian Times on June 28 about Ghana’s victory against the US. The New Zealand Herald greeted the returning national team with “Heroes homecoming for undefeated All-Whites,” a euphemistic take on a showing that had consisted of three draws.
“Paraguayan grit seeks to derail the Japanese train,” penned La Nacion from Fernando de la Mora, Paraguay on June 29, followed by the alliterative flourish, “Gradas de garra guarani” — “Stands filled with the passion of guarani [indigenous Paraguayans].” In Tokyo, Sports Nippon’s headline read: “Souzetsu PK-sen! Honda, hakkyo no inori tujizu shuusen” – “Fierce penalty kick battle! War ends despite [midfield Keisuke] Honda’s pray for the round of eight.”
With little exaggeration, O Estado wrote on July 3 after Brazil’s loss to the Netherlands that “the players can’t contain their tears.” The Netherlands had “postponed the hexan dream” (Brazil has won five World Cups). In contrast, after one of the wildest games in World Cup history, El Observador in Montevideo, Uruguay, blared: “Locura total!” – “Total insanity!” On the opposite end, The Ghanaian Times, grieved, ““Why oh why, Uruguay?”
Before the Paraguayans’ defeat to Spain, their success had “sparked massive sales and collapsed websites,” noted La Nacion. Wardrobe sales were also a theme in Germany, where imitations of the coach’s “lucky blue cashmere sweater were selling out!”, sometimes with more popularity than the team’s jersey, according to Die Welt from Hamburg. When its team beat Argentina on July 3, Die Welt declared that “Germany started an earthquake.”
“Sad fans, but with soar throats,” said El Observador after Uruguay lost to the Netherlands in the semifinals on July 6. “Now on to gold!” countered Amsterdam De Telegraaf. “Oranje Naar de WK-Finale!”, gushed Algemene Dagblad from Rotterdam: “Orange to the World Cup Final!” After Spain defeated Germany, El Mundo wrote of Carles Puyol, the man responsible for the fantastic game-winning header, “Corazon de leon, cabeza de oro” — “Heart of a lion, head of gold.”
Michel Di Capua is a New York-based writer
