紐時賞析／對維德角來說 世足雖敗猶勝

For Cape Verde, There’s Victory in Defeat

對維德角來說 世足雖敗猶勝

The atmosphere in Palmarejo, a middle-class neighborhood in Praia, the capital of the tiny country of Cape Verde, was electric after the country’s World Cup elimination match Friday against Argentina.

小國維德角首都佛羅亞的中產階級社區帕爾瑪雷霍，在該國上周五與阿根廷進行的世界盃淘汰賽之後，社區裡的氣氛熱絡如電。

People jumped onto cars in wild celebration. Drivers honked their horns. Crowds waved flags, and music blasted from the bars.

人們興奮地跳上汽車狂歡慶祝。司機們鳴響喇叭。群眾揮舞國旗，酒吧裡音樂轟然響起。

As it happened, Cape Verde lost 3-2, ending its World Cup dreams.

比賽結果，維德角以2比3落敗，世界盃的夢想就此終結。

The celebratory atmosphere might have felt misplaced, but for residents here, there was still an enormous sense of accomplishment in having advanced to the first elimination round after the group stage and finding a space in the global spotlight.

歡慶氣氛或許顯得有些違和，但對當地居民而言，他們仍感到無比自豪，因為他們在小組賽之後晉級到首輪淘汰賽，並受到全球矚目。

“We won despite losing because we have gone very far — more than anyone expected,” said Romina Delgado, 38, a banker.

38歲的銀行員德爾加多說：「雖然輸了，但我們其實贏了，因為我們走得很遠—遠超過任何人預期。」

Residents of Cape Verde live what they like to call a “No Stress” way of life, a calm, easygoing philosophy rooted in the belief that everything will naturally run its course and find its rhythm.

維德角的居民活著他們稱為「無壓力」的生活方式，一種平靜、隨遇而安的哲學，深信一切事物終會自然運行、找到自己的節奏。

The notion of a stress-free life briefly went out the window Friday when Cape Verde astonishingly found itself in extra time, pushing Argentina, the defending champions, to the brink.

原本以為可以無壓力生活的想法，短暫之間就被拋到腦後，維德角出人意料地拚進延長賽，將衛冕者阿根廷逼到絕境。

Twice, Argentina took the lead. And, twice, Cape Verde came back to even the score, including once in extra time, raising the possibility of one of the greatest upsets the sport had ever seen. In the end, it was too much to ask, and Argentina survived, thanks to an own-goal after a misplaced header from a Cape Verde defender, but that did not diminish what Cape Verde had accomplished.

阿根廷2次領先，維德角也2度扳平，包括一次在加時賽；這樣的過程，讓人看到足球史上最大冷門之一可能會發生。最終，這是不切實際的想望。阿根廷靠著維德角後衛一次頭槌烏龍球，才驚險保住勝利；但這並未減損維德角所取得的成就。

Throughout the match — shown at a fan zone on the beaches of Quebra Canela, an upscale Praia neighborhood that is home to restaurants, bars and foreign embassies — Delgado had been glued to her chair with her hands over her mouth, praying and rocking anxiously back and forth. Her 10-year-old son kept asking her when Cape Verde would score again.

整場比賽在「凱布拉卡內拉」海灘的球迷區播放，那裡是佛羅亞一個高級社區，聚集餐廳、酒吧與外國大使館。德爾加多全程緊貼座椅，雙手捂住嘴巴，祈禱，焦慮地來回搖晃。她10歲的兒子不斷問她：維德角什麼時候才會再次進球？

As she got up to leave, holding her son’s hand, the people who flooded the fan zone danced beneath the giant televisions. She said she would enroll her son in a soccer academy this year so he could finish the job that had been started.

當她起身離開，牽著兒子的手，擠滿球迷區的民眾在巨大的電視螢幕下舞動。她說，今年她會把兒子送進足球訓練學校，讓他從現在開始累積實力，接力完成這個「已經開頭的任務」。

“Write this down,” she said. “One day, it will happen. He’s very determined, he’s very eager.”

「把這句話記下來，」她說，「總有一天，它會成真。他很堅定，也很渴望」。

文／Saikou Jammeh and Andre Amaral，譯／國際中心