Cape Town’s only daytime 2010 FIFA World Cup™ match was held on a typically Cape winter’s day on Monday, marked by heavy rain and a missed opportunity to showcase the views of Table Mountain and the city from the stadium to television viewers worldwide.

But while the weather may have dampened spirits, the crowds at Cape Town Stadium were arguably the loudest yet, with the roar from the vuvuzelas becoming deafening at times. At one stage in the second half there appeared to be a vuvuzela competition, with different sides of the stadium seemingly trying to outdo each other.

The game got off to a wet but exciting start, with Korea DPR putting on a plucky performance in the face of a polished Portuguese attack. Portugal scored once in the first half, with a strong counter-attack and some missed goal opportunities on the North Korean side.

The second half started on a thrilling note, with three goals in rapid succession by Portugal, setting the stadium alight. The rain eased into a steady drizzle and it seemed to become lighter, as a rampant Portugal stepped up its attack and dominated the remainder of the game while the North Koreans seemed to fall apart, leading to a 7-0 whitewash.

Some near-misses by Portuguese captain and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo had an excited audience at the edge of their seats, and they erupted when he finally scored in the final minutes. He was later named Man of the Match, much to the delight of many fans who had come to see him in action.

There were few North Korean supporters in the stadium compared to the large pockets of Portuguese fans, including many local supporters of Portugal, who were decked out in red scarves, hats and wearing flags to keep off the rain and chill.

However, a few South Africans had the Korea DPR flag painted on their faces to “support the underdog”, as one explained. “After their performance against Brazil, I thought they deserved some support,” he said of the team which has now been eliminated from the competition.

“At last, we’ve seen some pretty exciting soccer at the stadium, compared to the last few matches,” one Capetonian said while leaving.