By DPA,
Johannesburg : South African midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala was a happy man after his side drew 1-1 with Mexico in their opening Group A match of the World Cup football.
Not only did the midfielder, who plays his club football for Kaizer Chiefs, Friday score a historic first goal of the first-ever World Cup on African soil, he also played in his 50th game for South Africa.
And to crown it, he won the man of the match award.
The 25-year-old, who started his football career with Alexandra United before moving to South African glamour club Kaizer Chiefs, said that when he received the ball he was determined to score.
“We won possession in the middle of the park and then started a counter attack. When I saw Kagisho Dikgacoi receive the ball I made a deep run.
“The most important thing was my first touch after that, the rest was history. I simply wanted to focus and not to take my eye off the ball.
“What went through my head was that I have to put it in. It was really important for me to score a goal and to celebrate my 50th cap. The goal was like a present for me and for the entire nation.”
He said he wanted to show through his celebration how happy he was. “The whole team was so relieved that we had scored, it was a boost for the team.
“The confidence is there. We did very well, especially in the second half. The first 20 minutes they were in control of the game but they did not score as we managed to stop them.”
Tshabalala said he was disappointed that Nelson Mandela, who did not attend after his great-granddaughter died in a car accident on Thursday night, had not been at the game.
“But we knew that he was with us spiritually and we knew why he could not come.”
For Tshabalala the honour of scoring the opening goal at the World Cup put him into an illustrious club of star player who have scored the first goal.
Three time-world champion Pele, scored the first goal of the 1966 World Cup, while Paul Breitner opened the scoring in 1974 with the winning goal for West Germany against Chile. Italian Alessandro Altobelli was on target for Italy in 1986, while Juergen Klinsmann was the first person to score in 1994.
All four players won the World Cup and Tshabalala is hoping that he can – at least – come close to emulating them.
“I would be very, very happy if I could achieve what they have achieved.”