Germany v. Austria: Euro 2008

For those of you who have to work while the Euro Cup's playing in the States and who haven't Tivo'd it, here's the first in a breakdown of what's been happening with Germany's team during the past week.

Germany won against Austria, ensuring the team a quarter-final berth, but not without a few extra-football events to keep fans entertained. I knew this match was going to be something of an emotional one considering what a big deal Germans had been making out of it's rivalry with Austria in the days before the game. To me and most of my non-German friends, the rivalry seems a little silly since there are so many similarities between Austria and Germany; we can't seem to understand why there's so much antagonism. When searching for answers to "why?" I've come across reasons ranging from the petty to the serious, including the fact that Hitler was from Austria.

So the match was necessarily animated, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and at least nine government ministers showing up to participate in the only way dignitaries know how: in suits and muted, camera-aware excitement. Seeing Merkel jump at Germany's first and only goal and then quickly contain herself tickled the Germans I was watching with to laughter. Later, when German coach Joachim Löw was kicked out of the game for heatedly arguing with the Austrian coach, he joined the dignitaries, exchanging handshakes and what appeared to be pleasantries, which garnered even more laughs. German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger (whose family name literally translates to "he who rides pigs") was also suspended for the game, and he and Löw's reactions -- watched closely by the cameras -- were further reason for laughter during the game.

Up next...Germany-Portugal and Croatia-Turkey

tags: germany  football  euro2008