"At home" in the Beira-Rio stadium, Argentina faces Nigeria.

World Cup Portal - The black license plates on the cars and the accent heard on the street corners of the Menino Deus and Praia de Belas neighborhoods reveal the strong Argentine presence in Porto Alegre. There are thousands, and the number grows every hour, arriving in cars, buses, and planes. Their final destination is the Beira-Rio stadium, where Messi and his teammates will face Nigeria starting at 13 PM this Wednesday. In the Group F standings, Argentina leads with six points, followed by Nigeria with four. Iran, with one point, still holds out hope of qualifying and will play at the same time against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Salvador.

Early Tuesday afternoon in Porto Alegre, approximately one thousand fans, according to the Military Police, gathered near the stadium to greet the Argentinian delegation, which was arriving by bus for training at 14:30 PM. Singing and jumping, they celebrated wildly when the athletes arrived and remained there even after the training session to familiarize themselves with the pitch. There was plenty of taunting directed at Brazil in the songs and banners displayed by the group. All of this was observed by nearly one hundred military police officers.

Porto Alegre is experiencing days of anticipation regarding the possibility of a veritable Argentine invasion taking over the city. And it wouldn't be a surprise. The neighboring country is the largest source of tourists for Brazil and for the state, responsible for the entry of more than 580 visitors into Rio Grande do Sul in 2012, according to the statistical yearbook of the Ministry of Tourism.

Considering the impact of the mass arrival of Argentinians, the state government and the city hall have declared a day off for public employees. The intention is to ease traffic congestion and provide more safety and peace of mind for visitors and the local population.

No ticket

Although Argentine fans have purchased around 20 tickets for the game, many are arriving in Porto Alegre in search of tickets. “Do you know where I can buy one? Can you give me some information or contact details? I have money,” asked Jonas Milovich, unable to hide his anxiety. He has been in the city since Monday, after a long car trip with two friends from Buenos Aires. On Tuesday, he joined his compatriots around the Beira-Rio stadium and reinforced the enthusiastic chorus while trying to find a way to watch the match inside the stadium.

Confident of winning the world title, Pablo Cardozo also left Argentina to support the national team. Faced with the still inconsistent performance of Messi & Co., despite the two victories, he did not hesitate. “We will beat Nigeria easily. We are not doing so well, but we have Messi, who is our ace.”

The faith and admiration for the star player, who turned 27 this Tuesday, surpasses even the greatest number of decisive players in other teams, such as Sneijder, Robben, and Van Persie for the Netherlands. “It doesn’t matter. It’s Argentina,” he declared. Alongside his friend Damián Mariscal, also from the Argentine capital, he intends to return to his country after the match and, if all goes well, will go to Rio to watch the quarter-final tie.

Mystery at press conferences

While Porto Alegre uses Spanish as its primary language, finding a Nigerian could be a real challenge. It only happened at the press conference, when coach Stephen Keshi and goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama discussed the upcoming match. When questioned about his excellent performance against Messi in the South Africa World Cup, the player warned, “Messi is one of the best players on the planet. He’s even better than in 2010. But it won’t be me against him, it will be Nigeria against Argentina. How we plan to stop them is an internal matter.”

For the Nigerian coach, the challenge is to reposition his country's national team in a position of visibility on the international football stage. A standout in the 1994 competition in the United States, Nigeria failed to capitalize on that opportunity to develop the sport. Therefore, despite a draw securing qualification for both teams, the Africans promise to play to win.
Stephen Keshi said he wasn't worried about the large number of Argentinian fans in the stadium, but he also wasn't trying to win over the Brazilians. “The more people watching, the better. Players like to be seen and show their good football. We're in the World Cup to play football, without choosing our opponents. If France comes, so be it,” he stated.

In the early afternoon, Argentina's coach, Alejandro Sabella, arrived at the Beira Rio stadium before the rest of the delegation. He went alone to the press conference and reinforced the mystery surrounding the game. "I haven't yet decided on the team that will take the field. It will be a different match against Nigeria compared to previous games. I have the game plan defined, but I may make one or two changes to the team."

When asked about the opponent, Sabella specifically mentioned several Nigerian players and noted that each one has different characteristics. "This World Cup has already brought surprises. Argentina has always had difficulties against Nigeria. So caution is necessary."

Asked about his team's dependence on Messi's brilliance, Sabella was direct. “When you have a Messi, dependence is natural. It has to decrease, but it will exist. And the pressure on him to play well is inherent to any star player. What we have to do is help him and minimize this situation whenever possible.”

Sabella doesn't hide the fact that it will be a great thrill to see his team playing outside of Argentina with such a large crowd. "It's not surprising, because our people are passionate. Even so, I can only imagine how many there will be."

Mobility scheme

In the vicinity of the Beira-Rio stadium, road closures will begin at 8:00 AM, in the direction from the neighborhood to the city center. Bus circulation on the Padre Cacique Avenue corridor will be permitted until 10:00 AM. The closure of Borges de Medeiros Avenue, in the direction from the city center to the neighborhood, on Caminho do Gol, will begin at 7:00 AM. The roads are expected to be reopened at 5:00 PM.

Approximately 600 agents from the Public Transportation and Traffic Company (EPTC) will monitor traffic, with the assistance of 97 cameras located at the Control Center. The EPTC advises fans to travel well in advance to avoid congestion and delays in entering the stadium.

Roadblocks and traffic restrictions

» José de Alencar Avenue, access only for local residents and emergency vehicles;
» Edvaldo Pereira Paiva Avenue, between Ipiranga and Padre Cacique, in both directions of traffic;
» Padre Cacique Avenue, between Borges de Medeiros and Edvaldo Pereira Paiva, in both directions;
» Av. Borges de Medeiros (Caminho do Gol), between the Public Market and the Dom Pedro I Viaduct, only on the lane heading towards the city center;
» Av. Aureliano de Figueiredo Pinto (Caminho do Gol), between Borges de Medeiros and Rótula das Cuias, in the direction of the roundabout-Borges de Medeiros;
Monroe Street, the entire street;
» Otávio Dutra street, between Padre Cacique avenue and Silveiro street;
» Dona Amélia street, the entire street;
» General Oliveira Freitas street, the entire length of the street;
» Rua Miguel Couto, between Padre Cacique and Silveiro;
» Barão do Cerro Largo street, between Padre Cacique and Antenor Lemos streets.