Sleepless fans in Kerala put through wringer as Argentina goes to the brink and back

Rayan Ismail, 15, pumped the air with a clenched fist when Lionel Messi put Argentina ahead against minnows-turned-crowd favourites Cape Verde — a tiny African nation — with a sublime finish from an equally majestic cross-field pass behind the defensive lines in the 29th minute of the knockout match at Miami, his idol’s home away from home.

The diehard Messi fan felt his prediction of a 2-0 win for the men in blue and white stripes was well on course when the first half ended with the Argentine superstar’s seventh goal of the campaign separating the two sides. After all, Rayan’s predictions leading up to the match had been spot on in the contest organised by his apartment association. Expecting the game to end in regulation time and hoping to catch up on much-needed sleep after waking up for the 3.30 a.m. start on Saturday, the youngster was in for a rude shock.

His heart skipped a beat when Cape Verde equalised 19 minutes into the second half, pushing the match into extra time. As Argentine bashers — most of them fans of other teams united by their urge to see Argentina fall — erupted in vociferous euphoria, Rayan could not take it any more and left the screening disheartened. In the process, he missed yet another twist as Cape Verde yet again restored parity as their number 13 Sidny Cabral, produced a mind-bending curler that glided beyond the outstretched hands of the imposing Emi Martinez for one of the finest goals — if not the best — of the tournament, before finally succumbing to the defending champions.

Rayan wasn’t alone. Argentine fans across the State were put through the wringer as Cape Verde scripted a golden chapter in World Cup history and bowed out all guns blazing. “Massive respect to them. I was reminded of that nerve-wracking 2022 final when we led 2-0 only for the French to come back, and were kept in the game during the regulation time thanks to a brilliant save by Emi Martinez. Had we lost today, rival fans would have taunted us for the rest of our lives,” said Salih from Malappuram, admin of the Malappuram Argentina Fans WhatsApp collective.

Dire prediction

Rubin John, another ardent Messi supporter, momentarily feared that Ghanaian witch doctor Nana Kwaku Bonsam’s prediction that Argentina would be downed by Cape Verde might come true. After the final whistle, however, he turned a volte-face and boasted that he always knew Messi and company would eventually prevail.

For Argentina fans, the match proved to be a reality check. Beyond all the Messi magic, La Albiceleste remain vulnerable, and defending the World Cup is hardly guaranteed.

And then there was the meme storm to weather, unleashed by rival fans on social media as soon as their side scraped through to the next round.