On the way back to downtown Hamburg, our bus passed a van which read "Gracias Diego" on the back (complete with two photos of Maradona) and "Gracias Dios" on the front. Not sure if those statements were one and the same.
The best part about this Argentine party on wheels, however, is that the van's sliding passenger door was wide open -- as the vehicle was traveling up to 30 mph!! -- and an Argentine fan was just sitting there, waving and enjoying a beverage.
That's World Cup fever. And absolute stupidity.
Anyway, it was an excellent match and a tremendous atmosphere. The crowds here are, naturally, far more soccer-savvy than they are back home. When an Ivorean lost the ball out of bounds with a bad touch, they whistled up a storm. Seconds later, a probing cross from another Ivory Coast player drew appreciative applause.
The only negative about the crowds in Europe: They still do the wave. Maybe 7 or 8 times during the match, a bunch of fans started a countdown (Funf, fier, zwei, drei, ein!) and mostly everyone would rise up as if it were 1984 all over again. The Argentine section generally served as the Wave's kryptonite, and I thank them for it.
Dinner tonight in the press catering room was an adventure (it's not free, by the way, so I can complain if I wish. But I actually don't wish.) Virtually all of the food was gone by the time I saddled up to the line, so I had my first-ever broccoli and strudel meal. All things considered, both were pretty good. I now feel obligated to come up with an even more ridiculous combination later in the trip. Celery and pudding comes to mind...
Tomorrow (well, in seven hours), it's off to Cologne by train, with Angola-Portugal at night.
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