Euro 2008: Day 13

Portugal vs. Germany

2 - 3

Holy cow, was that a good game! I'll admit, I was a little scared going in, because Germany had been playing like such poop lately, and Portugal had been on fire, but right from the very beginning of the game, the Germans made it clear that they had come to play. They scored just 20 minutes in and led the whole way after that. The goal was such a beauty, too. A swift succession of give-and-go passes found Podolski powering down the wing, breaking free of his defender to cross the ball right to the goal mouth, where Schweinsteiger redirected it, mid-slide. What a way to come back into play, in his first game back since getting that red card in the game against Croatia! He played an instrumental role in Germany's other two goals, too, which were both headed in off of two perfectly-placed free kicks by Schweini. Of course, Portugal had to make it interesting, though. They scored their first goal right before the half to cut the score to 2-1, then their second with just a few minutes left in the game, and continued putting on the pressure right up until the last second. Waiting for the clock to run out practically gave me an ulcer, which hadn't yet happened in this tournament. Portugal can't be disappointed in the way that they played--they were a real threat for much of the game--but Germany was just better. They played the way everyone knew they could, and it was incredible to watch.

On a shallow note, it was almost as if former Euro Cup boyfriend Cristiano Ronaldo knew I was going to have to root against him this game, since he took the trouble to make his (usually awful) haircut look especially heinous. Much appreciated, man. Have a nice summer. Of course, now that Ronaldo's out of it, I'm going to have to choose a new guy for my Euro Cup boyfriend. That guy, as if there was ever any real doubt, is Lukas Podolski.


He didn't have his best game yesterday--I suspect he's still hurting from whatever injury to his calf he sustained in the Austria game, though he's playing through it--but the way he set up that first goal was just beautiful. Also, I'm having a hard time finding photographic evidence of it, but he has the Derek-Roy-patented Little Bastard Grin mastered. What can I say? He just does it for me. Go Poldi! (By the way, google Poldi and/or Schweini--which I did to check the spelling--at your own risk. Apparently there's a rather extensive collection of fan videos on the internet dedicated to that slash pairing, which is... odd. To say the least.)

So, I find myself facing a conundrum when it comes to tonight's game, which will determine who Germany will play in the semifinal. On the one hand, Germany lost to Croatia the last time they played. Pretty badly. On the other hand, if they had played like they did last night instead of eleven sacks of shit, they would have had a much better shot. On the other other hand, a Turkey/Germany semifinal would literally split Germany (the country) in half. It would be civil war, and I don't even want to think what Berlin, which has the greatest Turkish population of any city outside of Turkey, would look like after a matchup like that. I'm told it's happened before, and that no one died or anything, but it seems like something you'd rather avoid. Anyway, I guess I'm just going to have to go down to the fan mile, play the part of disinterested spectator, and see what happens. Even though that means I apparently bought a Croatia jersey for no reason other than to look like a tablecloth. Oh well.

Euro 2008: Day 9

Switzerland vs Portugal
2 - 1

Turkey vs Czech Republic

3 - 2

So, some genius decided it would be a good idea to have both daily games for the last round of the group stage playing at the same time, and I have no idea how this is going to work. Today it's pretty clear cut, since the Portugal/Switzerland game is inconsequential and the Czech/Turkey game is crucial to determining who moves on. But in the future, I can see it getting tricky for the TV stations to decide which game they should air, and I have no idea what the fan mile is going to do. I'm pretty burnt out on standing and watching games, and I need to conserve my energy for the Germany/Austria game tomorrow, so if I end up watching this game at all, it will probably be from the comfort of my dorm's common room. This may facilitate more instantaneous blogging, but I'll probably just fully give in to my laziness and write up a recap tomorrow morning, as usual. As for my rooting interest, I'm pretty apathetic. Right now I'm tentatively cheering for Turkey, but I feel this is a very wait-and-see-how-I-react-to-the-first-goal type of game. I'll keep you posted.

Update: So I ended up taking a break from football last night, and didn't watch either game. It's probably just as well, since I heard that Portugal/Switzerland was the game they televised, which doesn't really make sense, and I would have wanted to see the game that actually mattered. Instead, I hung out and played some charades, and learned some swear words from Alice's Czech roommate. It sounds like I missed some pretty exciting games, though. I'm totally astounded by the outcome of the Swiss game, and I'm curious to know if Portugal just played a bunch of their second-string players, or decided to let the host country at least win one game, or what. Because the Swiss really had no business winning that game. I'm happy for them, though.

The other game seemed like a real heartbreaker, and I sure could have put my newly-learned Czech swear words to use, as the Czechs gave up a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2. It was the first time the score has changed dramatically so far in this tournament, and I'm somewhat sorry I missed it. Actually, I'm surprised I couldn't hear the Turks celebrating from my dorm room. I'm sure they must have been excited.

Anyway, we now have our first 100% certain results: Portugal takes first place in Group A, and Turkey takes second place. Czech Republic and Switzerland, thanks for playing.

Euro 2008: Day 5

Czech Republic vs Portugal
1 - 3

Switzerland vs Turkey

1 - 2

Round 2! The games have been split into the winners and the losers in this round, and I'm going for Portugal and Switzerland once again. Lena's already told me that she's going to be with me on Portugal in this one, so it won't be two against one this time anymore. Actually, it looks like we're getting a big group of kids, mostly from Mac, together for tonight. Look for an update later, as usual.


Update: We have our first really meaningful results! If I followed the Austrian commentary and the meaning of the point system correctly, after last night's games Portugal is officially in to the quarterfinals and Swizterland is officially out. Yay! And, sad! The next game between Czech Republic and Turkey will be really intense, since it will determine who gets to join Portugal in the next round. Even though everything didn't really work out the way I wanted it to, last night's games were still pretty exciting.

Lena had class yesterday evening, so she ended up not being able to join us on the fan mile for either game, but Hannah and Alice came with Mark and me. We three girls were all going for Portugal, but Mark said he couldn't, because they play too dirty. So then the Czechs spent the game stomping on opponents' hands and elbowing and karate chopping in the face. (Someone smacked Ronaldo in the mouth, and I thought of my mom when I squealed "Not his face!") Don't get me wrong, the Portuguese team gave as good as they got, but there was absolutely no higher ground in cheering for the Czechs when it came to clean play. There was also this frighteningly large striker on the Czech team, who seemed to be there for no reason other than to be frighteningly large. At one point the Portuguese goalkeeper was picking the ball up, and this guy comes running up and jumped, literally, right up to him. Since he knew he couldn't touch the goalie, I'm not sure what that whole display was about, but Hannah and I found it kind of terrifying. We also found it fun to use the one phrase we know in Czech, which we learned from her Eastern Europe phrasebook when we went to Prague: "Mám vši!" It means "I have lice!" It would have been more useful, trash-talking-wise, to know how to say "You have lice!" but since it would be weird to go to the doctor and tell him he has lice, Hannah's phrasebook couldn't provide us with that. So we just had to make do with pretending that all of the Czech players were saying that to themselves, whenever the camera showed one of them.

To get to the actual game, it was a more or less comfortable win for Portugal. Their first goal was an even bigger mess than the Swedish goal from the other night. The Czechs had multiple chances to clear the ball, but they kept fucking it up, and the Portuguese had multiple chances to score but they kept fucking it up, until finally the goalie let it roll away from him right to a Portuguese forward, who finally scored, but only after it ricocheted off a defender first. The Czech team answered a few minutes later, potting a header off of a corner kick, and for the first time ever in this tournament we had a game tied at something other than zero. During halftime we had to endure some really awful host guy trying to do I don't know what. It was especially painful when he tried to speak English for no apparent reason, and I found myself longing for the uncoordinated cheerleader/dancers and monotonous drummers that filled halftime of the first game. The start of the second half was very welcome indeed. Just as I was starting to think that my boyfriend Ronaldo wasn't playing too well (and they hadn't been showing as many closeups of him as in the first game, which was disappointing), he scored, on a real blistering shot from right outside the top of the box. Portugal secured the game with a few minutes to go, after a strong chance for the Czechs left their defense out of position. It resulted in a two-on-goalie chance that was easily put away.

As I think will always be the case on the fan mile, the second game was more enjoyable, maybe just because the atmosphere was more lively. The Turkish fans were already showing up at halftime of the first game, amassing with their flags and painted faces and marching through the crowd chanting and singing. It was pretty cool. By the time the game started, there was also a strong contingent of Swiss fans in attendance, so we were caught in the middle of kind of a chanting war with "Türkiye! *clap clap clap*" coming from our left, and "Hop Schwiez! Hop Schwiez!" from behind us. It was pretty cool. Meanwhile, it was raining so hard in Basel, Switzerland that the players were practically underwater. The field surface was a mess, and it looked like trying to play soccer on a Slip-N-Slide. Players would go down and wouldn't stop sliding for a good twenty feet. It looked like great fun (when I used to play soccer I loved playing in the rain), but also really arduous and exhausting. The way the ball kept skidding and sometimes coming to a complete halt reminded me of the wonky ice conditions at the Ice Bowl, and eventually it resulted in a goal for the Swiss. Both the Turkish goalie and a Swiss forward were trying to get to a ball at the same time when the goalie slid, missed it, and then ended up way out of the play. Another Swiss forward got possession of the ball near the goal line, and centered it around a Turkish defender, where it stopped dead in a puddle in the middle of the goal. From there it was an easy tap into the goal. Despite the drenched conditions, Switzerland seemed to dominate the first half, but in the end only had that one goal to show for it. In the second half it seemed to have stopped raining, and somehow the field seemed dryer as well, like someone had wrung it out. It was the that the Turks started taking over the game. Their first goal was a real beauty, a long, long centering pass from the wing up to the front, and then a clean header in. From then on the game seemed destined to end in a tie, with both teams fighting hard to stave off elimination. At one point the Swiss seemed sure to score, getting a three-on-two, and a pretty good shot, but the Turkish goalie made a really great, slippery save to keep his team in it. In the end, it was the Turks who scored, with only about two minutes left in stoppage time, to kill the Swiss dreams of making the quarterfinals. It was a really dramatic finish, and all the Turkish fans, of course, went nuts. For my part, I couldn't help but be disappointed. I tried to get myself to root for the Turks, really I did. Their fans were so into it and I have no reason to dislike them (Döner is still delicious!), but, for whatever reason, I was really attached to the idea of Switzerland winning and was really sad to see them get knocked out.

Anyway, tonight the games stop being nice and start getting real. Germany and Austria are both playing (though not against each other) and this time I'll actually be in Vienna. I can't wait!

Euro 2008: Day 1

Switzerland vs Czech Republic
0 - 1

Portugal vs Turkey
2 - 0

Okay, everybody, this is it! It's finally here! Um, I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to blog this. I didn't really think this all the way through. I'll probably be stopping by the fan mile (70,000 fans and giant screens), which isn't exactly a laptop-friendly environment, so whatever I'm putting in this space will have to be made up after the fact. Pictures? Eye-witness accounts? Grade A football analysis? I don't know! It'll be a surprise!

For now, suffice it to say that I'll be rooting for Switzerland and Portugal. (Döner may be more delicious than Ronaldo, but Ronaldo's deliciousness is more available.)

Update: So, half of my wishes came true. I must confess I didn't know that Switzerland lost until just now, because I only saw the opening minutes of the game, but the Portugal win I viewed from the fan mile! There were tons of closeups of my Euro Cup boyfriend, which was much appreciated, the game itself was pretty exciting, and the atmosphere really helped it along. Here are some pictures:


On our way down to the fan mile, we (my friends Hannah and Alice and I) came across this weird blow-up house of giant proportions, which promised us the "Euro Experience." The poster outside used some strangely threatening language to describe what awaited us inside, but it was free, so we decided to brave it anyway. I'm really, really glad we did. Among other things (a trial of the Euro 2008 game for Xbox 360, which I was terrible at, quizzes about the Euro, which, after all of my research in the past few days, I was surprisingly good at, etc.) was this:


The Henri Delaunay Trophy. This is what it's all about. I'm unclear on whether this is the original or a replica. I'm tempted to say a replica, but there was a very official-looking man guarding it, so maybe it is the real one. In any case, it's no Stanley, but it's still pretty cool.


The tent also contained framed versions of all of the 2008 teams' jerseys, and it's official. Croatia's is totally the best. I saw tons of people wearing this jersey today (not surprisingly, since Croatia is playing in Vienna tomorrow) and I'm not really sure why, but I think I may be in love with it. If I see someone selling one, I may just have to buy it. In the adjoining tent, there was a movie of all the past Euro Cup finals games going on, and it got us so pumped that we wanted to see some football right that second! Luckily, we could, because the Switzerland/Czech Republic game was about to start.


After negotiating our way through the ridiculously strict security check-point, we made it to the fan mile. Here are all the people sitting in Rathausplatz watching one of the big screens. Unfortunately, we were only able to stay for about twenty minutes and then we went to go meet some people for dinner, but it was really starting to fill up as we were leaving. We finished dinner just as the first game was finishing, and tried to guess, based on the levels of excitement of people wearing Swiss/Czech colors how it had ended, but there didn't really seem to be many of those fans around. By the time we got through security again, the game was just getting started, and the mile was definitely more packed with fans than before. We did a little wandering, though, and somehow found a near-deserted corner, with practically our own personal screens to watch.


The first half ended scoreless, thanks to a goal for Portugal being called off for offsides, but it was still entertaining. Cristiano Ronaldo must have done some research on what I like to see in my favorite players, because he got a free kick in a prime location, and ended up hitting the post. Did Yo-Yo share that tip with him? By halftime we were ready to get a little more in the center of the action, and decided to try to push our way into the main crowd in Rathausplatz.


That's the Rathaus, or City Hall, which had the largest of all of the screens, as well as a stage for some really horrible halftime acts, set up in front of it. The crowd was pretty well split between supporters for both teams, though I doubt any actual Portuguese were there. Most of those cheering for Portugal were probably Austrians cheering against the Turks. There's some complicated background there that, as a foreigner and an outsider, I don't really feel comfortable getting into, but suffice it to say it has to do with immigration and some sieges that happened a few hundreds of years ago. I felt kind of bad for all of the Turkish fans going home without even being able to celebrate a goal.


I have to say, I kind of dig the European football way of calling matches: spare and sparse. Sure, I love RJ's flare as much as the next self-respecting Sabres fan, but sometimes it's nice to be able to just listen to the game and the stadium without obtrusive interruption. Since there was only one guy working the game alone, there was no forced, inane conversation filling any and all dead space. And since soccer is a much slower-moving sport than hockey, there's really no need to keep up a fast-paced run of game calling. A good majority of the call tonight was just the commentator saying the name of whoever had the ball, and then the name of whoever he passed it to, and so on. It created a very natural connection between the fans and the game, I thought. Like sports viewing at its basest level. Then again, maybe I only appreciated it because I couldn't really understand what was being said anyway. I like to think my German is pretty good, but my football vocabulary is pretty lacking, and the commentator had a pretty thick Austrian dialect which I'm still not quite used to.


This was the extent of the crowd behind me. All throughout the game the crowd was very well behaved. Of course there was drinking and (gasp!) singing and chanting, but everything seemed clean and safe. It was only as we were trying to leave that things got a little pushy and hairy, but even then it wasn't that bad. We did pass some sort of showdown between some Austrian and Croatian fans on our way out, apparently in preparation for tomorrow's game, in which there was no actual physical contact, or (as far as I could tell) actual words, involved. It was pretty bizarre, actually. Out of a lack of a common language, they resorted to blowing soccer-ball-shaped whistles and directing emphatic arm movements at each other to express themselves. At least this is what I gather to have been going on. I only got to witness it for about three seconds before I was carried on by the crowd toward the exit. All in all, it was a pretty enjoyable night, and I look forward to getting back to the fan mile soon! But for now, sleep.

Idiot's Guide to UEFA Euro 2008: Group A

The UEFA Euro Cup (also known by about a billion other names like the European Football Championship, Euro 2008, or die Euro or die EM if you're speaking German) is a competition consisting of 16 teams, split up into four groups of four. In the early rounds of the tournament, the teams from each group compete amongst themselves and the top two finishers go on to play in the quarter finals. The 2008 schedule looks like this. I've spent the past couple of days getting to know the teams a little bit, and here's what I've found out.

Group A - Switzerland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey

Switzerland

Diego Benaglio - Hopefully he's no Swiss cheese. (I know, I crack me up, too.)
[Getty Images]

What I think: I'm pretty entertained by the fact that Switzerland not only has a national team, but are also co-hosts of this tournament. I mean, doesn't their dedication to neutrality mean they can't choose sides? The crowds at the various non-Swiss games being hosted in Swiss arenas are going to be full of fans holding signs saying things like, "You're both winners to us!" or "We're not getting involved!" Also, according to Wikipedia, 72% of Swiss citizens speak German (or a language that's apparently technically German, but for which even native German speakers need subtitles), 21% speak French, 6% speak Italian, and less than 1% speak Romansh, which, despite the fact that less than 1% of the population speaks it, is still considered one of their national languages. Could communication on the pitch be a problem? All kidding aside, I'm very positive on Switzerland. I've always wanted to go there (and probably pretend I don't speak German just so I don't have to deal with that impenetrable dialect), and the three Swiss guys I shared a class with in Berlin (an Italian- and two French-speakers, so their German was thankfully perfectly understandable) were some of my favorite people I've met on this trip.
Jerseys I would consider buying just for the sake of having the name on my back: Zuberbühler, Spycher, Vonlanthen, Gygax, Derdiyok
The outlook: The Swiss had a pretty strong showing at the World Cup two years ago in Germany. They tied the eventual runners-up France 0-0 and then went on to beat Togo and Korea (both with a score of 2-0) to enter the Round of 16, only to lose to the Ukraine in a shootout after holding them to a 0-0 tie the whole game. That's rough, but playing four games and never giving up a goal is pretty bad-ass. Unfortunately, their history in the Euro isn't as promising. This will be only their third time in the Finals, and their previous two appearances consisted of one tie and two losses each. Their preparations for Euro 2008 have yielded some mixed results: They tied Argentina 1-1, and beat the Netherlands 2-1, which is promising, but they also managed to lose 0-1 to the US, which is kind of sad. All in all, they're a long shot, but they could surprise some people.

Czech Republic

David Jarolím - Telekinetic mind powers at work.
[Getty Images]

What I think: I had the good fortune to travel to the Czech Republic this semester, and it was delightful. After spending five days in Prague I can focus on the positives (Spacek) and forgive the Czechs for Jagr and Hasek. (Just kidding! I, begrudgingly, admit that those guys are pretty good, too.) That being said, unless something drastic happens, I can't see myself cheering for the Czechs at any point in this tournament.
Jerseys I would consider buying just for the sake of having the name on my back: Čech, Ujfaluši, Matějovský, Vlček

The outlook: The 2006 World Cup was pretty rough for the Czechs, who mustered just one win (3-0 against the US) before bowing out in the opening round after subsequent losses to Ghana and Italy. Apparently injuries were a factor then, however, and they seem more than geared up for this upcoming tournament. They certainly qualified with style, beating, among others, Germany 3-0, while missing some of their best players, no less. (Or at least so I've read. I wouldn't know the Czech Republic's best soccer players if they kicked me in the face.) They seem primed for victory. Of course, they seem equally primed for a huge faceplant. Only time will tell, I guess.

Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo - My 2006 World Cup boyfriend.
[Getty Images]

What I think: Portugal has the auspicious distinction of having on its roster the only name in the entire tournament I recognize. This is because I'm unabashedly shallow, and spent a good portion of my summer 2006 drooling over the various charms of Cristiano Ronaldo. His is not a face I could easily forget. Oh, and I hear he's pretty good at soccer, or whatever, too. I seem to have this nagging feeling, though, that he was kind of a douche in the World Cup, even though I can't remember the exact incident in question. Wait, was he the guy who purposefully stomped on some other guy's bits? Anyway, since soccer is just my fling sport, I'm not obligated to reflect on what it says about me that I'm drooling over a bits-stomper. So I won't.
Jerseys I would consider buying just for the sake of having the name on my back: Quim, Pepe, Moutinho, Quaresma
The outlook: In 2006, Portugal lost to France in the World Cup semi-finals and then to Germany to finish fourth place overall. They had an even better showing in Euro 2004, which they hosted, where they lost only two games--their first and their last, both against Greece. Unfortunately, that last loss against Greece was in the championship game. After coming so close to winning it all on their own turf four years ago, you would think Portugal would be coming in raring to go and with something to prove. But that doesn't exactly seem to be the case. (I'll admit, it's probably harder to keep the momentum rolling from a defeat that happened four years ago than I'm making it sound.) Portugal struggled mightily in their qualifying games, despite my man Cristiano scoring 8 goals (in how many games, I'm not sure, but it sure sounds impressive). They tied Poland, Serbia, and Armenia, and only solidified their qualification by drawing Finland 0-0. Unfortunately for them, a string of ties hasn't won a Championship yet, so they just have to be better.

Turkey

Hamit Altintop and Nihat Kahveci - Sharing some Turkish Delight.
[Getty Images]

What I think: Pretty much all I know about Turkey is Döner. But that's more than enough evidence for me to say Turkey rocks. Um, Döner is pretty delicious.
Jerseys I would consider buying just for the sake of having the name on my back: Güngör, Belözoğlu, Gökdeniz, Şentürk
The outlook: The only team in this group who failed to qualify for both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, it certainly seems like Turkey's destined to get their asses kicked. Hell, maybe even Switzerland will beat them. Then again, the past doesn't determine everything and this year's national team seems to have some spunk. Or at least they did. They won their first three qualifying games without giving up a single goal, including a 5-0 win against Moldova in which Hakan Şükür scored four goals. Then they seemed to have shat the bed, though, only winning one of their next six, including a loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina, and a draw against Malta. My hockey sense is reminding me that you don't want to win all of your games going into the big show for fear of peaking too soon, but at the same time the Turks seem dangerously like the European version of the 07/08 Senators. Either way, I really want a Döner now.

Coming Soon: Groups B, C, and D!