Runner-up blues

Erlangen streets are normally very clean. That's the reason yesterday I easily noticed a sad trace of the non-celebration here in Germany, post-Euro '08:

¡España es el campeón!

I had a beautiful and memorable Euro '08-Final Sunday!

Ishan, Fabian and I started our day by going to Church at 12:30. The Mass (in Spanish) was followed by a get-together that we shared with all the members of our community.

Fabian and his Dad chose to go home early, but for me...it was just the beginning!

Initially, I too was heading home after the get-together was over, but I decided to take a walk through the Schlossgarten because I knew it was "Family Day" and there was a big summer party there.

As I walked into the park, I noticed people were enjoying sausages and beer, kids were having their faces painted...I walked some more: enjoyed Argentinian Tango...walked some more and to my surprise I found Fabi's Capoeira teacher about to start a presentation. I met with some friends who had been in Church with me earlier and we enjoyed the show. Slowly several Latinamerican women started arriving and I came to know that the Latino-band Salsaborr was going to play dance music. To make a long story short, I'll just say that I danced a lot: with my old friends, my new friends...and even people I didn't know :)

After I stopped swirling for a minute I spotted my old friend Max (also from my Erlangen University days). I watched the EURO '08 final game in the Schlossgarten with Max and his friends. It was fun! You know why? Because when I left my house that morning I didn't know that the snacks that Ishan had made to share at the get-together after Church would also be enjoyed during the final soccer match in the middle of the Schlossgarten.
I have to admit most of us initially were hoping that Germany would win the game. I didn't want Poldi to be sad and I guess I was being selfish when I thought it would be just plain cool to celebrate among the Germans if they ended up being the winners. Only Max was rooting for Spain. When the first half of the game was over, Spain was winnning 1 to 0 and as the second half continued I realized how well the Spaniards were playing. There were only 3 minutes left before the game was over when I realized that Spain really deserved to win: not only because they were playing well, but because it was about time already! ...

I was fearing tears and dramatic manifestations of sorrow among all those people who had gathered to see their team play. However, when Spain scored their goal, instead of the drama, I only witnessed silence. No screams of anger, no crying....nothing. And when the game was over....everybody got up and started heading back to their homes. It looked like people were watching a movie instead of a live game. (Just like when a movie is over...everybody just gets up from their seat and starts walking out of the cinema.)

So, I got to live exactly the opposite of what I was hoping for (CELEBRATION!) I think the Spaniards celebrated big in Nürenberg, though....but here in Erlangen, people just "turn the page" and I'm sure this Monday morning it's business as usual for everyone. Note to Christoph Metzelder: you may now go ahead and shave your beard, please.

I guess the Germans who were in Spain got to celebrate more than the Spaniards in Germany.

So long...soccer fans...see you in June 2010 in South Africa! Only 710 days, 12 hours, 44 mins, 50 secs more to go...

El Bombo

Rong (my friend from my Erlangen University days) finally got her wish to taste some home made Indian food last Saturday. She was the one who told me about Manolo. Today I found this article (in German) in the Sunday newspaper.

It's NOT just a game! - Updated

I would have LOVED to be in Germany during the World Soccer Championship '06. I followed it closely and I remember some very moving moments:

• German player Lukas Podolski comforting the Polish goalkeeper after Germany beat Poland in a decisive match for Poland in the 1st phase;


• the excitment of the semi-finals;


• the loss of the German team against the Italians (Germans ended in 3rd place; while the Italians won the World Championship).

I have been following the EURO '08, which is hosted in Austria and Switzerland. There's been a lot of excitement and many surprising moments. I've enjoyed the sporty atmosphere here in Germany and wondered if it was the same as two years ago when they hosted the 2006 World Cup. Apparently, Germans are now more than ever - very enthusiastic about showing their flag colors and cheering for their team. I'm glad to know that!

I've been paying attention and noticed that there's a big marketing soccer scheme going on. I have uploaded some picture of soccer related things on my Flickr album. Everything is soccer-ized lately! Everybody is in a good mood...especially now that Germany is playing the final game of the tournament. It's been a good season!

There have been "moments" this time also:

• It rained early on co-host Swiss team's parade against the Czechs.

• My hero Podolski had to again play against (his other country) Poland. He didn't even celebrate the 2 goals he scored against his opponent in the first game. Naturally! How could he celebrate when his heart is divided between Germany and Poland? And then there's the historic background... *sigh*....Anyway, I really admire Podolski for his professionalism. He does what he has to do and just moves forward.


• The World Soccer Champions didn't make it to the semi-finals. Some say the Italian team made it to the quarter-finals because they were lucky. Even so, I just hope Fabio is feeling better nowadays.


• I have to admit I was a little frightened by the results of yesterday's game where Germay beat Turkey in the quarter finals. There's a lot of Turkish people in Germany, so obviously many were dissapointed. I think it all ended rather peacefully (at least here in Erlangen). I'm sorry for the fans who were affected by a storm in Austria...and I wonder what's the mood like in Basel, Switzerland? (Vivek, Nidhi? Are you enjoying the Euro '08? Or do you just want the final game to be over already?)

The other semi-finals game is just a few hours away: Spain vrs. Russia.

I would love a FINAL match: Germany vrs. Spain....no matter who wins, I will celebrate big!

(Thanks, Rong, for the reference to this video!)

UPDATE: Germany vrs Spain it is! Next Sunday, June 29th...!

What remains / Was bleibt...

Since I'm now visiting Costa Rica, I've been enjoying access to several international tv channels, including the german DW.

It's sad to see once again the world go through all these bad times. Eventhough it's been days since the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 came to an end, I was glad to see the german channel address what remains after such an important international sports event is over.

I think the world needs more opportunities to 'make friends', just like the germans did by playing hosts to so many people who went to visit their country during the past few weeks.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures that I would like to remember...

Canna celebrating:

Two people we won't see on the next Fifa World Cup in 2010:
German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn shares a light moment with Portuguese forward Luis Figo at the end of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ third place play-off match between Germany and Portugual, 08 July 2006 in Stuttgart. This is the final time the two will play for their national teams in a FIFA World Cup™. Germany won 3 to 1. Copyright: AFP

Related artwork from a place that had soccer fever from just watching:
Indian sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik adds the finishing touches to his sand sculptures of Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro (R) and French captain, Zinedine Zidane at the Golden beach in Puri, east of the Indian city of Orissa, July 8, 2006. Copyright: Reuters

L'Italia! Campioni del mondo!...

Il quarto titolo! It's their fourth title!

This is the picture I wanted to see! I had to wait 120 minutes of suspense and penalty shoot outs!

"Italy's team captain Fabio Cannavaro holds the World Cup trophy after the final of the soccer World Cup between Italy and France in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Sunday, July 9, 2006. Italy defeated France 5-3 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw." (AP Photo/Jasper Juinen)

I feel sorry for the french goalkeeper, Fabien Barthez, who took 5 shots.

And what about France's captain, Zinedine Zidane, who played the last game of his career? He scored the first goal of the match...but then he was very rude and got a red card which he totally deserved. What a sad way to go!... Ciao Zizou!

On a side note, Germany's M. Klose took the adidas Golden Shoe, for being the player who scored the most (5) goals. I'm happy for him!...He's young and he deserved it!

This past month was really exciting, but it went by really fast!...It's time to relive the memories! Thirty-two billion people in 207 different countries have watched Germany 2006! Right now, I can only imagine the celebrations going on in Berlin...and in Rome! I think I will celebrate by eating italian food for the next four years...until the next World Cup in South Africa, 2010!

Today's Soccer Heroes

Check this picture out:

"Germany's Lukas Podolski ('Prince Poldi'), left, and Bastian Schweinsteiger jubilate after the medal ceremony following the World Cup 3rd place soccer match between Germany and Portugal. Germany won the match 3-1; Schweinsteiger scored two of the goals". (AP Photo/F. Augstein)

As I watched the match, one of the funny things was to hear the CostaRican soccer commentator, Pilo Obando, trying to pronounce 'Schweinsteiger'.

As the World Cup is coming to an end, I was glad to know that Prince Poldi is the winner of Best Young Player award!

Forza azzurri!

When this Football World Cup started, I was intially cheering for Costa Rica, then Switzerland, then Argentina, then Germany, then Portugal. Every time I've chosen a new favorite team it looses. So...now that Italy will play the final game against France, I will cheer for France...so that it looses against Italy because I want to see the forza azzuri win this cup! Why? Because I want to see Italy's team captain, Fabio Cannavaro smile. Isn't he cute?

Some historic stats for you:

Since the Football World Cup Championship began in 1930, only seven countries have won the tournament:

Brazil: 5
Italy: 3
West Germany: 3
Argentina: 2
Uruguay: 2
England: 1
France: 1

Schock in Fußball-Deutschland!!

A few weeks ago, I had posted a picture I thought was very moving. It showed German player L.Podolski consoling the Polish team's goalkeeper after Germany beat Poland.

Today, it was the Army of the Roman Empire that crushed the German hosts to pieces in the dying minutes of the encounter.

Here's another picture of my friend Podolski after the outcome of today's semi-final game against Italy.

Richtig traurig.... :( --> "That's just the way football is."



We are still yet to find out if Germany will end up in 3rd or 4th place in this year's version of the World Cup.

World Soccer Madness coming to an end!

Semi-finals look like this:

4 July 2006
GERMANY:ITALY

5 July 2006
PORTUGAL:FRANCE

The Cup will remain in Europe. Who will win?!?

Costa Rican Team ... is going home!

In the first phase of the World Cup, a team gets 3 points for winning a game, 1 point for drawing and 0 for losing.

This is how Group A looks like after each of the teams have played two games.

GROUP A
Team Points
Ecuador 6
Germany 6
Poland 0
Costa Rica 0

In the previous Cups where Costa Rica has played, we have always gone to the 2nd phase. But not this time!...No, sir!...We're going home!

Ecuador on the other hand, is going to the 2nd phase for the first time. They're playing really good and I can only imagine the type of celebrations going on down there. Viva Ecuador!

Ecuador still has to play against Germany and Poland will play against Costa Rica. However, these games will just change statistics...not the fact that Germany and Ecuador get to move along while Poland and Costa Rica say 'Auf Wiedersehen!'.

The picture that broke my heart

Germany and Poland are neighbouring countries. They share more than just a border, they also share some history - but I'm not going to get into that. I'll just say that a significant number of immigrants in Germany are Poles.

Two of those immigrants are Miroslav Klose and Lucas Podolski who happen to play in the National German Football Team. (Yeah...Klose...the guy who scored two goals against Costa Rica on his 28th birthday during the opening game of the 2006 World Cup).

Eventhough, Miroslav K. was born in Poland, he has lived in Germany since he's 8 years old. Football was a way to make friends in his new country. He admits to having retained a strong affection for the land of his birth and visits regularly.

Unlike Klose, Podolski knows the Polish national anthem by heart, enjoys Polish music, and his household is Polish-speaking. "I feel at home in both countries," he says.

As luck would have it, Germany and Poland ended up being in the same group (Group A) in the first phase of this year's World Cup. That meant that they would eventually play a soccer game: 'Germany vrs. Poland'. And to top it off, by the time they met on the field, Germany had already won a game and Poland had already lost one. This means that it was a decisive match for Poland. I didn't watch the game, but I read it was rather even, with Germany playing a little bit better. A normal soccer game lasts 90 minutes. The game might last a few minutes longer if the referee decides to recover lost time.

On June 14th, Germany played against Poland. The score was 0 - 0 and when the game was almost over, during minute 91...Germany scored a goal. That meant Poland was practically out of the World Cup...and they knew it!

A photographer caught the moment when Podolski goes over to his opponent's team goalkeeper and comforts him. But the goalkeeper is much more than his opponent...he's also a person who shares his birthland!...

Klose and Podolski are very professional players. They fought for Germany - their team. But their heart was pulled in two directions...and the picture of Podolski says it all.

Now that you know the background story...go back to the picture again...and tell me it doesn't move you!

I think the picture moved me because I could relate to it --- to some extent. Then I thought about Fabi, who has two different cultural backgrounds. I hope he doesn't have to be torn between the two of them....at least, not too often!

So much more than just soccer

World Soccer Cup is going on...so bear with me if my current posts are related to the most important sport event of the year!

Today I would like to bring your attention to a very significant aspect of the World Cup for us gals: spotting the hottest looking players!

My friend Marlène, from Switzerland, ("Hi, Marlène!") sent me the result of the readers' choice from a newspaper of the French part of the country. They chose the best looking man in the Swiss football team taking part in the World Cup. Take a look at the results in the picture below (Click on it for a bigger version). Notice the latin look of the guys that were chosen... ;)

Another interesting thing is that there are twin brothers in the Swiss team, David and Philipp Degen.

Oh!...and here's a story from today's newspaper. More proof of how important all this is worldwide:

'Green light for Thai monks': Thailand's Buddhist monks must swear off many earthly pleasures, but the government has given them the green light to enjoy the World Cup football, a religious affairs official said. "Thai monks will be allowed to watch the matches because exposure to worldly affairs including soccer is beneficial."

So...I think I will go benefit myself and take a good look at the other teams' hot players! Bye!...

Germany 4 - Costa Rica 2

History was made, indeed!

Let us count the ways:

• It was the first time Costa Rica played in an opening match of a World Soccer Cup.
• It was the opening match with the most scored goals.
• The German player, Miroslav Klose was the first one to score more than one goal in an opening match. (He was also celebrating his 28th Birthday! He made 5 goals during the previous World Cup.)

[Before I continue this post, here's a quick overview that I got from the newspaper "The Times of India".

As you (might not) know:

- a soccer game consists of two 45-minute halves with no timeouts; if there is a tie, up to two extra 15-minute periods are played before penalty kick shoot-out.

- eleven players from each team are on the field. There are 4 types of players: 1 goalkeeper protects the goal, defenders (fullbacks) play in the front of the goalkeeper and stop attacks, midfielders move the ball up the field and forwards attack the goal.

]

Back to the post:

This is the third time I am away from Costa Rica (CR), when it has participated in a World Cup. I never feel homesick, but knowing how important soccer is in my country, that the sport is more than 'just a game', that everyone is in a festive mood, being away from home right now makes me feel nostalgic. Actually, I wouldn't mind being in Germany right now, either :) -- All that party going on! Anyway, watching CR play against Germany in this opening match was much better than watching CR play against Turkey in a Turkish shop in Erlangen, Germany - like I had to during the World Cup in 2002!

Since we just moved to a different house, our cable is not installed yet. However, -BIL- Sopan and Priya invited us to watch the game in their new LG Flatron 1200! We missed the Opening Ceremony and the Costa Rican National Hymn (there was no electricity at first - bleh!). But then it was back again and we had beer, pizza, Coke and chocolate soccer balls! It was a very exciting game. I heard TV comments of how this game had a surprising outcome...maybe they thought that the game was going to end something like Germany 9 - CR O (?)

The game was so exciting that I hardly ate, but it was a good thing Priya insisted on packing a couple of pizza slices (that's what I ate while writing this post!)

To end this chapter (and await for the following games!), let me relive the score of the (much anticipated) game Germany vrs. CR:

Start of Game: Ger O - CR O

5': Ger 1 - CR O

12': Ger 1 - CR 1 (My absolute favorite part of the whole game!)

17': Ger 2- CR 1

60': Ger 3 - CR 1

73': Ger 3 - CR 2 (Another 'nice' part of the game...)

86': Ger 4 - CR 2 (Bleh!...)

P.S. As I finished writing this post, the South American country of Ecuador beat Poland 2 to nothing on the 2nd game of the day! Viva Ecuador!

Counting down to a historic moment

As I type this, there are only 5 hrs 16 mins 39 secs....38 37 36 35 until kickoff time.

I. CAN'T. STAND. THE. WAIT!....

It will be 10:00 am in Costa Rica (where I come from), 6:00pm in Germany (where the soccer game will take place) and 9:30 pm in India (where I am right now). Now you know why I have those clocks at the bottom of my blog´s sidebar.

MEET THE GUYS

This is the Costa Rican National Football Team.



(Back row L-R) Ronald Gomez, Douglas Sequeira, Mauricio Solis, Leonardo Gonzalez, Paulo Wanchope, Marin Luis.

(Front row L-R) Walter Centeno, Gilberto Martinez, Michael Umana, Dany Fonseca and goalkeeper Alvaro Mesen.

Here's a picture of their arrival in Germany.

FIFA WELTMEISTERSCHAFT 2006

It closes the shops

closes the schools

closes a city

stops a war

fuels a nation

breaks the borders

builds a hero

crushes a dream

answers a prayer

and changes the world.

One game changes everything.

The ball for the opening match of the FIFA World Cup™ between Germany and Costa Rica.

Just. A. Few. Hours. Away.

Nine months ago we learned the news.

We've been dreaming (read 'anxiously awaiting') for the moment.

The clock is ticking! My blood pressure is rising!...

Should I be optimistic? Should I be realistic?

Oh...! Let me just enjoy the agony of it all!

One month, 32 teams, 64 games, One Prize.

May the soccer gods have mercy! I'll be keeping a very close eye on GROUP A.

Daydreaming....

The FIFA World Soccer Cup is a month away. History will be made on June 9th, 2006 - when Costa Rica beats Germany in the opening game in Munich.

After that....whenever someone asks me: "Where are you from?" -- I will never have to explain where Costa Rica is!

Tag der Deutschen Einheit

Hoy se celebra el 15 aniversario de la
Reunificación Alemana.

Apparently, this year’s celebrations were out of this world.

Speaking of Germany…it is definitely “A Time to Make Friends”. Where will you be from June 9 to July 9, 2006?

Updated to say: It's official... Costa Rica is going to "Germany 2006"!

Updated again: para complacer a Tío Alonso...una foto de Fabi sonriendo porque vamos para el Mundial 06.