Messi outshines B-Town stars

So what if Argentina ended up 1-0 against Venezuela? So what if Nicolas Otamendi — and not Leo — butted the ball into the net for the narrow-margin victory? What the crowds — and the celebs — wanted was Messi. And what they got was Messi: in brilliant flashes, lightning moves and razor-edge passes. No one went home disappointed from Salt Lake Stadium.
“It was a thrilling experience. It’s great to see a sport like soccer garner such response in Kolkata! A FIFA match happening in India was encouragement enough. I saw thousands turning up in Messi T-shirts. And I was just among the 80,000-strong crowd rooting for Messi. Wherever he was on the field, the focus was on him,” said Neha Dhupia with child-like excitement in her voice.
Though the actor could not fulfil her dream of meeting Messi, that hasn’t pulled her spirits down. “I made thisspecial trip to Kolkata just to catch the match. Seeing a living legend like Messi play was a dream come true. I also got to taste on cello kebabs — and it was wonderful,” she said.
For once, B-town heartthrob Dino Morea didn’t mind getting lost in the crowd. “It was so crowded that I found it difficult talking,” he said. And what about the match? “It was superb. It felt good to see two great teams battle it out — live — in India. And of course, my favourite Messi was there. Ahh... he is just brilliant,” the actor said after the match.
Rahul Bose, for his part, was raving about the Kolkata crowd. “Everyone was in a festive mood. There was no chaos. The game was played in wonderful spirit. There were some great chances and some narrow misses. The first half was lovely. But yes, one couldn’t have expected the match to have been played with 100 per cent intensity. It was a friendly, after all. What more can you ask for? I was just very, very happy that the city got to host such a match,” he said. For once, our stars were outshone by Messi’s brilliance and no one complained.