If you're reading this post, you do not live under a rock and therefore heard that ze Germans took home their fourth World Cup on Sunday evening after defeating Argentina in Brazil. Forty-eight hours later on this Tuesday evening I am finally nearing complete recovery. With my job at the pub , working through the World Cup season was different than my last cup experience, but still quite a ride and I am thrilled for the men of the DFB! For a sport I admittedly previously only associated with small children playing at the YMCA, I surprised myself with eyes glued to the television and it only intensified as the tournament advanced. While my soccer fandom and respect for the game grew significantly over this tournament, I will still probably only attend church on Christmas. People like to compare soccer to a religion - watch this video - so there's my religious metaphor.
Going into the Sunday night game, I was a bit concerned about Germans really bringing the party should a victory occur. I'd seen Spain party with a big World Cup win in 2010 and was not sure if Germany could fiesta quite like Spain. I know, I know, it sounds silly, but I could already hear the responsible Germans and their excuses about work on Monday. While there were some of these dutiful Germans, there were still plenty who let all hell break loose, in an organized, respectful fashion of course; this is Germany after all. This description should be taken with an extra grain of salt with consideration to my nerdier home of Karlsruhe, so I cannot speak for the likes of the capital city or the more football-oriented city of Munich. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised with the celebrations and enthusiasm demonstrated by fans across the nation. Word on the street is the police were even pumping up the crowds with announcements via their car megaphones. Word.
This is the main street, Kaiserstraße, in Karlsruhe after the victory.
Weltmeister! Oh wie ist das schön!
Sunday all normal work rules went out the window when my boss offering up my first cider shortly after kick-off. From his "strategic" business side, it was to get customers partying along with us. From my employee-working-during-the-world-cup perspective, I took full-advantage of my friend cider and her smaller, but denser Baby Guinness friends. Several beers among the staff and customers later, the party still had not started. As the clock ticked higher and higher towards the end of regular time, the crowd grew quieter and quieter. According to the betting pool at the pub, everyone had high expectations. So high in fact, that no one predicted the 0-0 score at 90 minutes and therefore no one won the pot. For a pub packed full of drinking football fans, it was too silent. All of our nerves got the best of us waiting for the goal we were sure was coming.
Maybe it was just me, but I felt that every German fan knew we were going to win this game. Maybe it seems to confident, but Germany really dominated the tournament. Their scores were not high (with exception to the Brazil game), but in terms of possession and skill sets, the Germans were precise and tactful. Then, in extra time, it finally happened. Götze!
TTTTOOOOOOOOORRRRRRR!!!
My lovely coworker Steinunn handing out the victory shots.
These guys... my heart melts!
You can't plan these things and I can't help but feel lucky to experience this entire tournament in Germany, dedicatedly cheering on my adopted team, much to the amusement of the Freund, who found my German-spirit comical. Football, it was fun, but next time I watch you on television it will probably be Eurocup 2016. Bis dann.
20 comments
this is so awesome!! it looks like it must have been amazing to celebrate in the country that won!!
ReplyDeleteI just posted about the world cup in Hamburg last night! I was amazed at just how quiet things were until extra time finished, and then the honking, singing and fireworks started. It sounds like you had more fun than we did here!
ReplyDeleteNice Deutschland 'tache ;-)
ReplyDeleteI was definitely one of the male ones who went home after the match. 6 a.m starts don't go well with partying all night!
I also laughed (from afar) at how everyone turned into German fans at the end! I'm so glad I didn't have to put up with the car horns through the night!
ReplyDeleteI was really upset when I found out our Amsterdam trip was the weekend of the final, but I was determined we would watch the game and celebrate there anyway. As England was out so soon, we switched to supporting Germany pretty quickly and had watched all the games with our german friends here. They called me just after the game finished and were going crazy down the phone, it just made me wish I'd been here in Frankfurt to party with them all! This is all just making me more jealous!
ReplyDeleteIt was an amazing game. Sat on the edge of your seat kind of amazing. Thank goodness most of the people in Amsterdam were supporting Germany or things could've got awkward pretty fast ;).
I love how excited Germans can get when it comes to Fussball. They definitely deserved to win. I was so nervous, I can't tell you.
ReplyDeleteHa! Sort of like how Americans don't generally give a shit about soccer, and for one month every four years they become crazy obsessed patriots waving flags and smashing TVs when the US (inevitably) loses. It's fun to play along, though!!
ReplyDeleteAhhh, that looks like such a fun work night! It's amazing you could be there to soak it all up. I watched most of the matches from a live stream on my bed (except when in Slovenia) so I really missed out on the magic, but it was a great cup.
ReplyDeleteI knew Deutschland had what it took to take the title this time around! And there was just something about Goetze... I felt like he was something... even though the fiance made fun of him for looking about 15 years old every time he came out onto the field. (who cares!)
Oh man, I can't imagine what insane energy there was in that bar! How lucky you were to be there when ze Germans won!
ReplyDeleteI bet you were! Were you still in Germany for the game?
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to play along - especially this year with thew US, there was a different energy than previous years. Movin' on up!
ReplyDeleteHahaha Goetze does have that adorable baby face doesn't he?
ReplyDeleteGermany totally should have cancelled work for Monday.
ReplyDeleteYou just gotta party along with the horns, only way to deal ;-)
ReplyDeleteMy friend wanted me to go to Paris last weekend and the WC hadn't even begun and I said but that's the world cup finals, I can't watch in France... ;-) So now I'm going this weekend.
ReplyDeleteWould've been crazy if it turned out to be a Germany-Netherlands game and you'd been there! So close!
I'm sure you could still feel some of the WM energy on your return, I think I'm still feelling it :)
Fun! I'd love to read it, but your blog lin kin your Disqus profile doesn't seem to work for me? Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up! I'll try to fix it when I get home from work tonight. Basically, it rained in Hamburg before the match and everything was really quiet and then exploded after the won.
ReplyDeleteOK, try it now. thanks for letting me know.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! Also, I just saw that my commented said I was one of the "male" ones! What?! I was never male! Clearly I meant to type lame...
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing like celebrating a soccer victory in Europe ... Spain 2010, 2012. Just great. I was rooting for Germany after Spain/the U.S. went out, so I'm happy they won. (Honestly, I just didn't want Messi to win.) Also I was irrationally happy that a Mario scored the goal (same name as my husband).
ReplyDelete