Por-tu-gal! Por-tu-gal! Por-tu-gal!

June the 11th saw the Czech team face-off against the Portuguese in the most important match of group A. The Stade de Geneva was alive with applause, horns, drums, and chants ringing out from the hearts and minds of respective supporters. Never in my life has such an experience soared beyond my wildest dreams.

At the celebration lounge across from the stadium we met up with David, Philly and Nuno who work for Fedex and support Portugal. So with our bellies full of good food, wine and espresso we donned our scarfs and sunglasses joining the masses at the entrance to an intimate and beautiful stadium.


To our left was the massive Czech section full of life and jeers for Ronaldo. At the opposite end were gathered the Portuguese fans who came to life as Deco netted the first goal of the match in less than nine minutes. Ronaldo played with imaginative flair, expressive heel-flicks and bullet shots one of which forced Peter Czech to power-dive to his left, deflecting a good hit out of touch for a corner. When the Czechs leveled after a well placed header from Libor Sionko the stadium burst with noise and vibrations of hands and feet moving in unison.


The crowd was buzzing with anticipation at the start of the second half and weren't disappointed as both teams controlled the match for periods almost in deadlock. In the end the quality of Deco and Ronaldo's play was simply too much. Witnessing pro footballers in action allowed my mind to grasp not just the skill involved but also the true speed of Cristiano as he ate up ground like a demon possessed. Deco created the breakthrough with a deft touch sliding the ball from the corner of the 18 yard box into Ronaldo's path; his side-footed finish found the back of the old onion bag with me holding both arms aloft in celebration...one hand happened to be holding a hotdog (gifted from fans on my row).


The match maintained its intensity as Ricardo parried a shot over the crossbar with a strong, top hand save. The giant Jan Koller came on for Tomas Galasek to act as target man and was immediately man-marked. Nuno Gomes, Joao Moutinho and Simao yielded to younger subs Fernando Meira, Hugo Almeida and Ricardo Quaresma. These fresh legs brought new life to the Portuguese side as Ronaldo wore the captain's armband playing in the pocket of space behind Hugo Almeida as a second striker. Whilst the Czech's pushed for an equalizer their fans provided enough encouragement to power a small city. But it was Ronaldo who broke free onto a counter attack and gifted substitute Quaresma, from our friend (pictured to the right) Nuno's hometown idols FC Porto, a simple goal that iced the victory amid the proud song of the Portuguese national anthem.

I am now hooked on live sport without thoughts of coming home, no offense friends...maybe five days from now I will feel different. But at the moment the density of today's memory runs like water from the Amazon river of my heart and 200 miles out to the sea of my soul one can drink the fresh water of new-found experience.

Wednesday Match Day Approacheth

Before launching into a Euro rant I'd like to mention Barcelona. At the family owned restaurant Sumoll, brothers Ramon and Damien treated us to a true insider experience. It was there I watched the first Portugal match while talking of Ronaldo's fate with Damien who spoke great english. Neither of us want to see the Portuguese winger go to Madrid and speaking of; Manchester United have lodged a formal complaint to the world governing body of footy: FIFA. Much to Calderon's chagrin there is proof in the form of an interview with club manager Schuster to bolster the English clubs claims. Now this protracted tug of war is bound to have some end in sight...right? Just don't hold your breath or bet your house on the certainty of the above statement, albeit made in passive voice.

I toured Camp Nou, the larger than life stadium, and upon entering its hallow ground my breath was taken away and I'm still trying to catch it. I will post pictures taken on the stadium tour sooner than later. The world should know that the life-size poster of the former Barca manager Frank R. is no longer used to pose in pictures with visitors and other inanimate posters of Henry and Messi.

Goal of the tournament: The Van Basten-esque volley from Sneijder that near posted Buffon...or the one two goal scored by Zlatan...discuss.
Moment of chaos: No not the German fan arrests, but instead the left footed volley scored by Lucas in Germany's last match. This goal came from a gaf at the back and resulted in one of the most ugly and perfect goals of the tournament. Seeing that goal as perfect from a Polish perspective, however is a lot to ask. Much the same can be said of the second goal in Greece's match bundled over the line by a two defenders and a fossilized goalkeeper.

France needs to get their act together and either grow some balls and take more than one shot on goal in a match of sack their coach who relies on astrology to pick his lineups. I am sorry people, but the game was disjointed at best. It was a match marred by selfish runs (Malouda) and shots from impossible angles (Anelka).

If Spain and Holland can maintain their current runs of form they will go far in this summer's tournament...not to discredit the German team or count out the Italians. Speaking of going far take the train into the mountains of Figures, Spain and visit the Dali museum.

EuroCopa!

Like the German lads in our hotel I am anticiapting the Euros with much pride and passion not for my own country but for the experience. In three days time this blog will have its first bit of on action journalism direct from Geneva, Switzerland. Perpair yourself world wide web, pray to what ever entity you see fit, but above all:ENJOY