The Magic of the World Cup
By Portia Mao
My friend’s nephew, Eric Lu — an alumnus of Auckland’s ACG Parnell College now pursuing postgraduate studies at the University of Southern California — recently caught the New Zealand vs. Iran World Cup match in Los Angeles.
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Having spent over four years in New Zealand, Eric naturally considered himself a Kiwi supporter and arrived at the stadium ready to cheer for the All Whites.
Sharing his experience on WeChat, Eric described an atmosphere unlike anything he had ever seen. He estimated that of the 70,000 fans packed into the stadium, around 95 percent were backing Iran.
Surrounded by a massive sea of red, green, and white – and flanked by two burly Iranian men – Eric initially decided to keep his New Zealand fandom under wraps for self-preservation, though the Iranian men sitting next to him immediately greeted him warmly.
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Eric’s secret didn’t last long. Just seven minutes into the match, New Zealand scored its first goal. Unable to contain his excitement, Eric let out a massive cheer.
To his surprise, while he was enjoying the match with his beer, his neighbor, who was just drinking water, clinked glasses with him and even offered him some popcorn.
When Iran later equalized to make it 1-1, the stadium exploded. Swept up in the sheer, infectious joy of the crowd, Eric found himself chanting “Iran! Iran! Iran!” along with others before he even realized what he was doing. A second later, one of the Iranian fans next to him wrapped him in a massive bear hug, and they were jumping up and down together, celebrating like old friends.
Reflecting on his stadium adventure, Eric stressed that New Zealand still holds a special place in his heart. He said that during his four and a half years there, he made lifelong friends, experienced extraordinary kindness and generosity from Kiwis, and fell in love with some of the most beautiful natural scenery in the world.
That is why Eric Lu’s WeChat post has touched me. It revealed the true magic of the World Cup – its shared joy can sometimes transcend even the team loyalties.
