The Tour started a week ago and produced the first surprises unrelated to doping today. Levy Leipheimer lost the world in the time trial, while Floyd Landis and Andreas Klöden will take a little cushion into the Pyrénées. Four Germans are among the best eleven in the GC, and Team Telekom, long-dormant vigor apparently set free by the exclusion of Jan Ullrich, leads the team classification. Stay tuned for more of the unexpected.
Somewhat unexpected, at least to me, was the way Germany dominated Portugal in the little final of the World Cup tonight. Portugal is certainly not Argentina, but they've eliminated England and given France a hard time, and Germany was playing without four starters. The game went back and forth in the first half with the Germans having the edge and all of Portugal's opportunities ending in the arms of a clearly pumped Oliver Kahn. In the second half Bastian Schweinsteiger shot on goal three times, and the game was decided.
For his first goal, the ball moved in an bizarre way sneaking by the goalie's left hand as if by its own will. There seemed to be something odd about the ball for Kahn was tricked into the wrong corner a while later on a 35-meter free kick and barely managed to keep his goal clean. In the end, I was happy that the Portuguese also scored, so everyone could celebrate.
Celebrating football, the Mannschaft, and happily themselves is what most Germans did for the last month. Now the World Cup is almost over, only the final remains to play. I'll watch it, decked out in a France shirt, in a bar in Grenoble, secretly hoping Italy will win. On Monday, teamgeist will be retired, merchandise will go on clearance, and gloom will mark the day of many.
I don't low spirits, though. My post-Mondial blues will be lessened by two more weeks of le tour. Go Klödi!
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