足球小國(guó)的狂歡日，魅力褪色的世界杯

MANCHESTER, England — It started in San José, Costa Rica, late Saturday night, with a goal from Kendall Waston, the Costa Rica striker, and a scream from Kristian Mora, commentating on his nation’s game with Honduras for Teletica Deportes. “El Mundial, el Mundial, el Mundial,” he bellowed, over and over again, as Waston raced toward the fans in the Estadio Nacional and thousands more spilled out onto the streets to celebrate. “That’s what the country is shouting.”

英格蘭曼徹斯特——一切始于周六深夜的哥斯達(dá)黎加圣何塞，哥斯達(dá)黎加前鋒肯德?tīng)?middot;沃斯頓(Kendall Waston)在同洪都拉斯的比賽中進(jìn)了一個(gè)球，現(xiàn)場(chǎng)為T(mén)eletica Deportes電視臺(tái)解說(shuō)比賽的哥斯達(dá)黎加人克里斯蒂安·莫拉(Kristian Mora)不禁發(fā)出尖叫，“進(jìn)了，進(jìn)了，進(jìn)了，”他一遍又一遍地喊著。與此同時(shí)，沃斯頓沖向國(guó)家體育館的球迷，還有成千上萬(wàn)人涌上街頭慶祝。“這就是整個(gè)國(guó)家此時(shí)的呼喚。”

It swept into Alexandria, Egypt, a day later: Mohamed Salah’s nerveless penalty, again in the 95th minute, giving the hosts a nerve-shredding victory against Congo and a place in the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. Salah, carried aloft on his teammates’ shoulders, described it as a “childhood dream.” So many fans packed the streets of Cairo that, at one point, an army helicopter appeared, dropping Egyptian flags from the air.

一天后，這股浪潮席卷了埃及的亞歷山大。在埃及對(duì)陣剛果的比賽中，穆罕默德·薩拉赫(Mohamed Salah)在第95分鐘冷靜地主罰點(diǎn)球命中，為主隊(duì)取得了比賽的勝利，也令埃及28年來(lái)首次躋身世界杯。薩拉赫被隊(duì)友們抬在肩膀上，他說(shuō)這是自己的“童年夢(mèng)想”。無(wú)數(shù)球迷擠滿了開(kāi)羅的街道，后來(lái)空中出現(xiàn)一架軍用直升機(jī)，從空中拋下一面面埃及國(guó)旗。

On Monday, on the cusp of the Arctic Circle, it was Iceland with a victory over Kosovo, enough to make it the smallest country ever to have qualified for a World Cup. On the field in Reykjavik, Iceland’s players led their fans in the now-traditional thunderclap. The noise traveled around the world.

周一，北極圈邊緣的冰島戰(zhàn)勝了科索沃，成為有史以來(lái)取得世界杯參賽資格的最小的國(guó)家。在雷克雅維克的球場(chǎng)上，冰島球員們帶領(lǐng)球迷發(fā)出如今已經(jīng)成為傳統(tǒng)的戰(zhàn)吼。洪亮的聲音傳遍世界。

And then came the climax, on Tuesday: in Quito, Ecuador, and Couvo, Trinidad; in Lima, Peru, and Lisbon, Portugal; in Panama City and Sydney, and San Pedro Sula, Honduras. At the end of four days of the most exquisite tension, the coup de grâce, on arguably the most remarkable day of international soccer for a generation.

然后高潮在周二到來(lái)：從厄瓜多爾的基多，到特立尼達(dá)的庫(kù)沃;從秘魯?shù)睦R，到葡萄牙的里斯本;從巴拿馬城和悉尼，到洪都拉斯的圣佩德羅蘇拉。經(jīng)歷了極度緊張的四天，眼前是最關(guān)鍵的時(shí)刻，可以說(shuō)是這一代國(guó)家足球隊(duì)中最為引人矚目的一天。

Argentina, so troubled for so long, made it, thanks to a hat trick from Lionel Messi against Ecuador; so did his peer, rival and existential counterweight, Cristiano Ronaldo, as Portugal edged out Switzerland at the last.

阿根廷經(jīng)歷了長(zhǎng)期的困難，終于在對(duì)陣厄瓜多爾一役中，因利昂內(nèi)爾·梅西(Lionel Messi)上演的帽子戲法得以成功打入世界杯。和梅西齊名的球星、競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手與生死大敵克里斯蒂亞諾·羅納爾多(Cristiano Ronaldo)也帶領(lǐng)葡萄牙在最后一場(chǎng)比賽中淘汰了瑞士。

So great is the lure of Europe’s club competitions and so compelling are the endless soap operas around their teams, that it is easy for those in the countries that have appointed themselves the sport’s heartlands to be dismissive of international soccer.

歐洲足球俱樂(lè)部賽事充滿極大誘惑，無(wú)窮無(wú)盡的肥皂劇總在俱樂(lè)部球隊(duì)之間上演，令人目不暇接。那些身在自認(rèn)是足球運(yùn)動(dòng)中心地帶的人，比較容易對(duì)國(guó)家隊(duì)比賽不屑一顧。

Panama, a victor against Costa Rica, will be there for the first time — thanks, in part, to a goal that did not happen. It was such an auspicious occasion for the country that the next day was immediately declared a national holiday. The United States, beaten by Trinidad and Tobago, will not be there, the shining brilliance of Christian Pulisic not enough to prevent the country from missing its first finals since 1986.

巴拿馬由于戰(zhàn)勝了哥斯達(dá)黎加，將首次入圍——這在某種程度上多虧了一個(gè)其實(shí)并沒(méi)有進(jìn)的進(jìn)球。此事是如此喜慶，以至于該國(guó)立即宣布翌日為全國(guó)節(jié)日。美國(guó)被特立尼達(dá)和多巴哥擊敗而無(wú)緣世界杯，克里斯蒂安·普利西奇(Christian Pulisic)的出色發(fā)揮也未能阻止美國(guó)自1986年以來(lái)首次未能躋身決賽圈。

Honduras might yet qualify, thanks to a win against Mexico, but only if it can beat Australia, which edged past Syria, the decisive goal coming after 199 minutes of 210. That is one of the intercontinental playoffs for a place in Russia; the other features New Zealand and a Peru team indebted to David Ospina, the Colombia goalkeeper, and an eagle-eyed referee. Peru and Colombia tied, 1-1, in Lima. Peru’s goal came from Paolo Guerrero, scoring direct from an indirect free kick. Had Ospina not touched it, the ball would still have gone in, but Peru would be out. Such are the margins. In recent days, such has been the drama.

洪都拉斯仍有可能入圍，因?yàn)樗鼞?zhàn)勝了墨西哥;但只有在它戰(zhàn)勝澳大利亞時(shí)才有這個(gè)可能，而澳大利亞在長(zhǎng)達(dá)210分鐘的比賽中的第199分才進(jìn)了決勝的一球，險(xiǎn)勝敘利亞。這只是得以入圍俄羅斯世界杯的跨大洲附加賽的其中一場(chǎng);在另一場(chǎng)中，與新西蘭對(duì)陣的秘魯隊(duì)多虧了哥倫比亞隊(duì)守門(mén)員大衛(wèi)·奧斯皮納(David Ospina)和眼光銳利的裁判。秘魯在利瑪舉行的比賽中與哥倫比亞以1-1戰(zhàn)平。秘魯?shù)倪M(jìn)球來(lái)自于保羅·格雷羅(Paolo Guerrero)的間接任意球直接破門(mén)得分。如果奧斯皮納沒(méi)有碰這個(gè)球，球仍然會(huì)進(jìn)，但秘魯也將被淘汰。就是這么懸。最近幾天，就是這么有戲劇性。

The Champions League, after all, is now the game’s gold standard, where greatness is achieved and contested. Pelé and Diego Maradona built their legends at World Cups, back when that was the only place where the very best assembled, and when it was the only time much of the rest of the world could see, and assess, them. Messi and Ronaldo, by contrast, meet their peers every other week in the Champions League, and do so in front of an audience of millions.

畢竟，歐洲冠軍聯(lián)賽才是當(dāng)今足球運(yùn)動(dòng)的黃金標(biāo)準(zhǔn);球員在這里成就偉業(yè)，也造就爭(zhēng)議。貝利和迭戈·馬拉多納在世界杯上創(chuàng)下自己的傳奇，那是因?yàn)樵诋?dāng)時(shí)，世界杯是唯一一個(gè)可以讓最佳球員同場(chǎng)競(jìng)技的賽事，也是唯一一個(gè)可以讓世界的其它地方看到球員們、對(duì)他們品頭評(píng)足的地方。相比之下，梅西和羅納爾多在歐冠賽事中每周都可以見(jiàn)到旗鼓相當(dāng)?shù)膶?duì)手，他們的比賽有數(shù)以百萬(wàn)計(jì)的觀眾收看。

Domestic competition, too, is so much more compelling now: the cut and thrust of the Premier League, awash with unimaginable sums of money, and the glamour of Barcelona and Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus. Soccer’s rapid globalization in the last two decades has meant that these are the jerseys players dream of wearing, these are the competitions that they dream of winning, and these are the teams to whom fans lend their hearts, every week, every month, every year.

國(guó)內(nèi)聯(lián)賽也變得更加扣人心弦：英超賽場(chǎng)上的短兵相接背后，有難以想象的巨額金錢(qián)涌動(dòng);巴塞羅那、皇家馬德里、拜仁慕尼黑和尤文圖斯俱樂(lè)部的輝煌也是如此。在過(guò)去20年里，足球的快速全球化意味著，這些俱樂(lè)部的球衣是球員們夢(mèng)寐以求的，這些俱樂(lè)部的比賽是他們夢(mèng)想贏得的比賽，而這些俱樂(lè)部球隊(duì)則是球迷們每星期、每個(gè)月、每一年都在全心關(guān)注的球隊(duì)。

Internationals, by contrast, are an afterthought and an inconvenience. Attendances across Europe, even in Italy and Spain, suggest a lack of engagement: Games are regularly moved to smaller stadiums in a bid to generate atmosphere, but even that cannot always mitigate against the sight of vast swaths of empty seats. In England, which has the national team that regularly draws the largest crowd, the conviction has taken hold that it does not matter that much anymore, that the club game is the sport’s engine.

相比之下，國(guó)家隊(duì)賽事顯得滯后而麻煩。在整個(gè)歐洲，甚至是意大利和西班牙，國(guó)家隊(duì)賽事的上座率都表明人們?nèi)狈εd趣：賽事經(jīng)常被改在較小的體育場(chǎng)舉行，以便制造氣氛，但是即便如此也未必能緩解出現(xiàn)大量空座的情況。英格蘭國(guó)家隊(duì)通常能夠吸引為數(shù)最多的擁躉，但是人們已經(jīng)確信，俱樂(lè)部比賽才是這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)的發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)，國(guó)家隊(duì)已經(jīng)不再那么重要了。

Such is the privilege of success. Europe’s superpowers qualified for Russia while barely breaking a sweat: England, Spain and Germany all finished the campaign unbeaten. Germany, the world champion, did not so much as drop a point. Portugal, France and Italy lost only once. It is not boring because it does not matter; it is boring because it is easy.

這是勝利者的特權(quán)。那些歐洲強(qiáng)隊(duì)幾乎不費(fèi)吹灰之力就能夠成功挺進(jìn)俄羅斯：英格蘭、西班牙和德國(guó)在資格賽中都保持了不敗戰(zhàn)績(jī)。衛(wèi)冕世界冠軍德國(guó)隊(duì)未失一球。葡萄牙、法國(guó)和意大利只是各失一球。這并不無(wú)聊，因?yàn)闊o(wú)關(guān)大局;這很無(wú)聊，因?yàn)閯倮偈挚傻谩?/p>

To the people pouring out of their homes to celebrate in Iceland, in Egypt, in Panama; to Kristian Mora, screaming himself hoarse, international soccer matters, in a way that club games rarely, if ever, match. Millions tune in to the Premier League, or the Champions League, or a clásico, in all of those places. Very few national holidays are declared.

對(duì)于冰島、埃及和巴拿馬那些沖出家門(mén)慶祝的人們來(lái)說(shuō);對(duì)于喊啞了嗓子的克里斯蒂安·莫拉來(lái)說(shuō)，國(guó)家足球隊(duì)是很重要的，而且是俱樂(lè)部球賽無(wú)法相比的。在上述所有這些地方，都有數(shù)以百萬(wàn)計(jì)的人觀看歐冠和英超賽事，抑或西甲的巔峰德比;但卻鮮有為此而宣布全國(guó)慶典的。

And yet, it was impossible to watch all that joy without wondering if it might be for almost the last time. This is one of the last qualification cycles for a 32-team World Cup. In 2026, thanks to FIFA’s ruling earlier this year, 48 countries will qualify.

然而，看到這些人如此喜悅，你不禁會(huì)想：這會(huì)不會(huì)成為最后一次?由32個(gè)國(guó)家隊(duì)參賽的世界杯很快就要成為歷史，這些比賽是最后的幾次資格賽之一。根據(jù)國(guó)際足聯(lián)今年早些時(shí)候的宣布，到2026年，將有48個(gè)國(guó)家獲得世界杯的參賽資格。

The rationale is clear. The emotion of qualifying is international soccer’s appeal, its unique selling point, and yet it can be lost. Australia’s late winner and the United States’ eventual defeat were 14 hours apart, and yet few could have taken in both games and all the nail-biting sport in between. The kickoff times were too diffuse; the distances too great; work and sleep and time got in the way.

他們的理由很明確。世界杯參賽資格所激發(fā)的情感是國(guó)家隊(duì)足球的魅力所在，也是它的獨(dú)特賣(mài)點(diǎn)，但這個(gè)賣(mài)點(diǎn)也有可能失去。比如，澳大利亞的最終勝利與美國(guó)的最終落敗之間相隔14個(gè)小時(shí)，但是幾乎沒(méi)有人可以觀看這兩場(chǎng)比賽，以及兩場(chǎng)比賽之間所有令人緊張的賽事。開(kāi)球時(shí)間太分散了;比賽場(chǎng)地之間相隔遙遠(yuǎn);工作和睡眠時(shí)間夾在其中。

Far better, then, for all of that drama to be bottled and stored and released in a concentrated form, as part of the finals themselves. That way more people can watch; that way, more people will pay. To FIFA, drama only counts if it can be monetized.

更好的辦法是讓這些激情洋溢的比賽成為決賽的一部分，把它們集中打包發(fā)行。這樣就會(huì)有更多人觀看，也會(huì)有更多人為之付費(fèi)。 對(duì)于國(guó)際足聯(lián)來(lái)說(shuō)，只有能夠帶來(lái)利潤(rùn)的激情才算得上真正的激情。

There is a fundamental misunderstanding here. Costa Rica did not explode with joy, or Panama declare a national holiday, or Egyptians flood the streets because they expect to win the World Cup. It was an outpouring of joy simply for being there, for achieving something rare and wonderful.

然而這里有一個(gè)根本性的誤解。哥斯達(dá)黎加成了歡樂(lè)的海洋、巴拿馬宣布全國(guó)放假、埃及人涌上街頭，這一切并不是因?yàn)樗麄兤诖约旱膰?guó)家能夠贏得世界杯;這只是因?yàn)槟軌蜍Q身世界杯本身便足以帶來(lái)極大的歡樂(lè)，只是因?yàn)樗麄內(nèi)〉昧四承┱滟F而又美好的成就。

As soon as being there becomes an expectation, an obligation, that joy disappears. That is when international soccer does become boring. FIFA set out to transform the World Cup because — officially — it felt that the more people invited, the better the party. It just forgot that part of the thrill, part of the appeal, is in receiving that exclusive invitation in the first place.

一旦成為期待與義務(wù)，這樣的喜悅就消失了。屆時(shí)，國(guó)家隊(duì)足球?qū)⒄娴淖兊脽o(wú)聊起來(lái)。根據(jù)國(guó)際足聯(lián)的官方說(shuō)法，他們開(kāi)始對(duì)世界杯進(jìn)行改革，是因?yàn)樗麄冇X(jué)得邀請(qǐng)的人越多，派對(duì)就越精彩。只不過(guò)他們忘記了，獲得別人得不到的邀請(qǐng)函，也是刺激和誘惑力的一部分。