Avoiding EURO 2016: A self-experiment — Day Twenty-Eight
Portugal and France will play out the final. This concludes my blogpost
series on avoiding EURO 2016, three days before this finally last game,
three days before expected. Which may indicate that the self-experiment
has failed but at the same time actually proves its point.
The big circus will close for another couple of years. A lot of smaller ones will keep playing.
Meanwhile, enjoy the pleasures in life. Such as art, love, empathy and celery salad.
»[D]et gik op for mig at teater og scenekunst ikke er en låst ting, men i virkeligheden en levende collage bestående af lys, lyde, rum, mennesker, bevægelser, tid, tekster og tanker som kan sammensættes på uendeligt mange måder og give uendeligt mange forskellige udtryk.
Det fascinerede mig. Ligesom at bygge lego uden manual. Den tanke kunne jeg godt lide.«
Avoiding EURO 2016: A self-experiment — Day Twenty-Five
We have reached the semi-finals of EURO 2016. Six days till the final. Meaning a day or probably two of rest, maybe even three.
The story so far: Portugal plays Wales and Germany plays the host nation France in the semis. It’s a fifty-fifty thing. Germany and Wales are those I support, or rather would support if I did follow the tournament. And if it wasn’t just football, the thought of Portugal or France winning the whole thing would be hard to bear.
But it is only football. A mere sport, blown up to not only huge business but also international politics. Which is the reason Denmark did not qualify. Or rather was cheated outside the green pitch, on the green table, because of politics at the other end of Europe that has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with Denmark as a country, and even less with Danish football.
Oh well, it is soon over. Three more matches. Only one of the surprises left. And then another month and a half of peace before the German football season finally starts.
Avoiding EURO 2016: A self-experiment — Day Twenty-Three
The first good news: Turns out the Welsh Wizards actually did beat the Belgian Devils. Yay!
The second good news: Germany beat Italy after a penalty shoot-out marathon. And 1.FC Köln’s shooting star Jonas Hector scored the decisive one.
Jonas Hector deserves a story on its own, and here it is. A fairytale. A few years ago, the modest Saarländer played in the second team — because of his name🙂, I noticed him already back then — and already last year, he was the most capped player in Germany’s national team.
The best thing about this story (so far) though, is that he has kept both feet on the ground. He talks to the press only occasionally, and only because it is part if his job, being a professional top footballer.
No CR7, no Zlatan, but Jonas. The story continues. Hopefully in Cologne.
Avoiding EURO 2016: A self-experiment — Day Twenty-Two
I know it. I know now which the famous eighth team in the quarter-finals is. Wales. It is Wales after all. I saw a news heading on Facebook saying that they will play Belgium. I really hope the dragons are going to devour the devils.
As I learned last week that only one of the ‘big four’ — Spain, Germany, France and Italy — can reach the final, the winner of that match will play Portugal in the semi-final. For they did win against Poland yesterday after all. The silence in the evening here in Little Portugal did not signify that the team had lost. It signified that it took time for them to win. A penalty shoot-out in fact. And the initial evening silence was interrupted by the occasional honking car and cheering chauffeur even later in the evening.
Damn. Poland out. So of the three left in this ‘half’ of the knock-out pyramid, only Wales is an acceptable winner for me. Not CR7. And please not the Vrietenvreters.
I also picked up that Iceland is now dealing with the host nation, and Germany will deal with Italy. So let’s hope for (but perhaps not bet on) Iceland vs Germany in the semis.
It does annoy me somehow that I found out, even by coincidence, who the eighth team is. I had almost guessed it but was far from sure. I mean: Wales? Cymru?? Seriously??? OK, it is a beautiful, an amazingly beautiful place. But football?
Anyway, you humongously beat Belgium when it comes to coastline. Now do the same on the green pitch. Please. Do.
