Cape Town Stadium after England vs Algeria

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Cape Town Stadium after England vs. Algeria
Tickets in hand, we arrived at the England vs Algeria game about 10 minutes after it had started. The sound, as we approached the stadium, was unlike anything we'd ever heard before. England supporters were there in force, cheering and singing for their team. As we got closer to the stadium we could see white flags with red crosses hanging from the pavilions - it reminded me of a scene from a gladiator contest in medieval England. As we entered, amidst the roar of the crowd, I almost expected to see shining knights riding white horses!

Unfortunately for England, all the shouting, blowing of vuvuzelas, and singing wasn't enough. The "mighty" England team suffered a 0-0 draw against Algeria, a team ranked far lower than them. The mood after the match was a pretty sombre one and even though we decided to support Algeria in this match we felt genuinely sorry for the thousands of supporters who had high hopes of a spectacular win.

Match results aside, as we walked to meet friends at a local restaurant we stopped to take this photo from the edge of the lake. It really was the most beautiful of evenings - the air was warm and there was no wind to speak of. Isn't this just the most grandest stadium?

9 thoughts on “Cape Town Stadium after England vs Algeria”

  1. Caroline

    What an amazing shot! Where did you take it from? We were sorry for the English too – but then the coach did insist on leaving out Theo Walcott and Darren Bent who could have lifted it up for them!

  2. Paul

    Post author

    Thanks Caroline. I took the photo from a walkway close to the Mouille Point lighthouse. Right now I can’t remember if you’re in Cape Town… but if you are, you should take a walk there – it’ll be beautiful at sunset!

  5. bev

    Best we put the England match on one side, nightmare for us back in the UK to watch..

    But your photo Paul is really excellent I love it..

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  7. Paul

    Post author

    Firefly, Tony, Bev, thanks! I wasn’t going to take the photo (we were in a hurry) but then it was so priddy that I couldn’t resist. :)

  8. Anne

    Incredible photo…
    but hey, why did you decide to support Algeria!!!!!!!
    Well at least we survived through to the next round!!!!
    I don’t really watch the matches, just spend my time looking at the scenes behind the commentators…..mid summer here in the UK, but I remember Cape Town winters!!!

  9. Paul

    Post author

    Thanks Anne! :) Ah, well, you know… it’s not that we have anything at all against England. I guess it may be all the drama portrayed in Footballer’s Wives and the whole WAGs thing that leaves me prejudiced. Silly reason I guess, but there you have it. :)

    I presume that you lived in Cape Town once Anne?

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