Deutschland Unter Alles

OK, so last night I did watch Germany play for its soccer life in the Euro 2004 tournament. Needing a win against the Czech Republic, which had already clinched advancement and apparently rested some of its top players, Germany took a 1-0 lead about 20 minutes into the match. The Czechs tied it about 10 minutes later, and took the lead midway through the second half.

Germany tried to even the score, and came close on several occasions, but ultimately lost. That, combined with the Netherlands' 3-0 win over Latvia eliminated Germany.


Coach Rudi Voeller (pictured to the right) was so ashamed of the performance that he resigned his position on Thursday morning. We watched the game at a different place, and the crowd seemed a lot less into it this time around. I found that a bit puzzling, since Belgium is nestled so squarely between Germany, Holland, England and France. I figured there would be boisterous supporters of Germany and Holland just as there were of England and France two nights before. Maybe it was just the venue. Which was a place called Gekko in the St. Gery section of Brussels. You can read about Saint Gery if you like. I make no claims about the authenticity of this information, nor do I endorse any political slant it may have.

Since I'm on the topic of sports, one of the odder experiences of being in Brussels has been feeling completely and utterly disconnected from the world of North American sports. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's a bit strange reading articles on ESPN.com and not having seen every replay 50 times. Maybe Sportscenter is a bad influence after all.

I also sampled two new Belgian beers last night, one called Westmalle Triple which pretty much all the travel guides said was a can't miss. It was pretty tasty, but very strong. Later in the night I sampled a Kriek cherry beer that was actually pretty good, too, though I'm not sure I'd want to spend a night drinking it. It seemed like it could be very dangerous -- it sort of tasted like cherry Kool-Aid.

Tonight I think I'm being required to watch England play Portugal. I have a feeling based on what I've read that the English fans are going to be sad when this one's over.

Then tomorrow after work it's off to Barcelona for the weekend. As such, there may be a publication hiatus for a few days.