Alas, it was not meant to be. We heard horns honking and firecrackers popping after the game this evening, but it surely was not Germans celebrating (we do know some Spanish nationals living in Liederbach and assume it was them). We were disappointed that Germany lost the Euro 2008 championships, as much for ourselves as for Germany. We really wanted to experience the euphoria of a big German win in this country that is known for keeping things low key. Maybe the Olympics will do it for us.
We certainly learned quite a bit about football (soccer) these past few weeks. Besides James' soccer games, the Euro 2008 games were the first time I watched an entire fußball match. It was refreshing to sit in front of the TV and watch a sporting event for 45 minutes straight with no commercial interruptions and made us long for our DVR back home. Plus, the games were more exciting than I thought they would be. At first, it does seem like a lot of aimless running around, but once we got a feel for the game, our interest didn't falter. And the blood! That was one aspect of the game I wasn't expecting. I found myself rolling my eyes over how a player would fall dramatically to the ground, clutching a body part in unimaginable pain after simply being tripped by an opposing player, then get up and trot away when no yellow card was awarded. But serious blood was shed during this final game and. Unintentional(?) headbutts were common and skin was split several times.
In fact, cutie pie Michael Ballack, after having been treated for just such a head butt, was told to leave the field in order to wipe up the blood that was still streaming down the side of his face (this photo didn't capture the worst of it).Better luck next time, boys.
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