Auburn’s John Cohen reflects on historic night at Jordan-Hare Stadium

Jordan-Hare Stadium played host to a truly historic spectacle this past Tuesday night, transforming the iconic venue into a global stage.

A Global Presence on the Plains

The atmosphere was electric as more than 88,000 fans packed the stadium to witness Argentina and Lionel Messi defeat Iceland 3-0. The event drew an incredibly diverse crowd, showcasing the international appeal of the Plains.

Auburn athletic director John Cohen shared his perspective on the milestone during an appearance on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 on Wednesday. "The net positive is this: 47 states were represented in Jordan-Hare Stadium last night and 42 countries were represented," Cohen noted. "It’s a great way to put our best face on for the entire world to come visit the Plains. We were awfully proud of it."

Messi Takes the Pitch

While he did not start the match, Lionel Messi made his highly anticipated entry midway through the second half. The crowd erupted as he scored a goal to the delight of the pro-Argentina crowd.

"Another residual effect is the fact that arguably one of the greatest athletes in the world, maybe in the history of the world, played in front of our fans and actually scored a goal," Cohen said. "So this is a great evening and it took an incredible amount of work on the part of our staff."

Messi’s participation was a welcome sight for fans, as he had been sidelined by a hamstring injury that kept him out of a previous friendly against Honduras in College Station, Texas. On Tuesday, he checked into the action at the 70th minute and wasted no time making an impact, finding the back of the net via a penalty kick less than five minutes later.