Disclaimer: I do not owe the Highlander universe and well the football teams belong to whom ever they belong.
This is not an update. It's just that when I posted this story I hadn't payed attention so muchas to what I was writting - put it down in excitement - and I feltshould correct it. Thanks to you people that reviewed evevn though the text was a bit err...off.
Though I am not a huge football (soccer for the Americans) fan, this is what comes out of watching my favourite team surprising the whole world in the Euro 2004 Football Cup.
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"Come on Duncan, you are going to enjoy it." Methos urged him. He just had to agree.
"I suppose, but football?" He said hesitantly. He just couldn't understand what the excitement was all about. It was just football, after all, and he said so.
"Just football?" two voices all but yelled at him.
"Are you out of your mind?" Methos just wouldn't believe what he was hearing.
"This is not just a game, MacLeod." Amanda agreed. Wait, since when did Amanda called him MacLeod? "This is everything, this is Euro 2004, this is it, the game! The Olympics of the Football!"
"Well, I can see it from home, comfortably in TV."
"You just don't know what you are missing." Methos insisted. "The 11 gods that fight for the victory, the thousands that bow to their superiority, the…"
"Methos, you are blowing this out of control." MacLeod sighed exasperated. "It's not as if there is going to be a big surprise." He mused. "It's going to be between Spain, Portugal, France and England, as always."
"I am voting on France." Amanda said delighted. "They haven't lost a match for ages now."
"If you think so." Methos shrugged, a strange light playing in his eyes.
"I think Methos is right. "MacLeod added. "I think Spain has better chances."
"No they don't." Amanda spouted. "I am telling you it's the French. They play with all the style and finesse they have in normal life. Have you watched Henry playing?"
"Yes. And I think Raul and Ronaldo are far better." Duncan retorted. Both of them were staring at each other challenging each ones beliefs.
"Great!" the Oldest immortal in the world, clapped his hands in happiness. "I take it this mean we are going to Lisbon."
"We most certainly are." Duncan growled.
"Oh, yes. I think someone has to teach a certain Scott a lesson."
"Most certainly." Agreed Methos with her. "I am sure you will be happy to know I have tickets for the first match then." He announced with a huge smile on his lips.
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"Come on, Spain-Greece? Why are you taking us here? Wouldn't it better to watch England-France?" whined Amanda.
"Well, MacLeod wanted to see Spain playing…"
"We could have gone to their first match against Russia." Retorted Amanda
"…and I wanted to prove to you that Greece didn't win Portugal by chance. They are really good. And I am paying for the tickets and our stay here."
"You don't have to boss us around because of it." Duncan replied, clearly amused watching Methos dressed just as every other Greek in the terraces. He had the Greek flag painted on his cheeks and was already waving a huge Greek flag as the 1st half time begun.
"Maybe." Methos smiled as he listened to the rupture of the Greek fans. "I am telling you. You are watching history being written here."
And then there was no more time for them to speak, as Methos was wholly engulfed by the game, yelling along with the Greeks, gasping and cheering as the game moved on. Even Duncan was cheering for the Greeks when they managed to turn the game and break the game even.
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"Spain is out! France is out! England is out! Italy is out!" Duncan was just staring as the Game with France came to an end, with the whole Greek stand exploding in cries of happiness.
"Ole, ole, ole!" next to him Methos followed the 5000 thousands Greeks around him as the bowed to the 11 gods of modern Greece. Amanda was standing there, mouth gaping, not believing what she had just witness. France, not beaten once in more that her last 10 games, surrendered under the power, the will that was named Greece. What had Methos said? They were watching History being written? Well he was wrong. They were watching a miracle taking place in front of them. Greece was off to the semi-final, first time in her history. As it was first time that she had entered the 8 best. As she had first won a major game in such an event. First time ever. Ever. It was a miracle.
And Methos was ecstatic.
"We are going to burn Portugal down tonight!" he screamed at them just as the 11 dived in front of them, down in the stadium. And they proceeded to do just that, along with the rest of the Greeks.
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8000 people. 8000 Greeks, most of them with the Greek flag painted on their faces, cheering since the National team entered the stadium. Music was heard all over as the national Czech Hymn was played. And then it was time for the Greek one. Amanda and Duncan felt their mouths dropped open as all over the stadium the Greek fans drowned the music as they sung their Hymn. And among them Methos, his face blue and white forming the Greek flag, wearing the top of the Greek national football costume.
Duncan and Amanda would occasionally look at Methos and share a small smile. He was so much into the game. He had completely forgotten about them, Cheering at the team, gasping in the few very close shaves and the near misses. He shouted along with the 8000 in Greek, and for a moment there was nothing else in the world but the game. This game.
"What are they shouting?" Duncan suddenly asked him
"Hmm, ti eipes?" Duncan rolled his eyes.
"Methos I don't speak Greek." He informed the Old Man just as on of the Greek players – his shirt indicated he was Kapsis – won one more header over the Czech player Koller. Which alone was a fit, Duncan had to agree, seeing that Koller was 2.02 meters high and about 2 heads taller than the Greek player.
"Well, you should." The old man replied when he finished cheering for the close shave. "What did you ask me?"
"What are they shouting. The fans?"
"Oh that. Err…the translation goes like this: Eeee, Oooo, we came to take the European pot."
"Doesn't make any sense." Duncan observed.
"It does in Greek."
"Anything else?"
"Why you want to know all of their slogans?" Methos snorted.
"Well, it could be interesting." Amanda joined.
"Fine. They are yelling all the time how the German is crazy – and I have to agree with them…"
"The German?" Amanda asked perplexed.
"The Coach. He is German. Otto Rechangel." Methos explained. "Also they say 'Lift it up the χχχking one, I can't, I can't wait any longer'" Methos grinned, as Duncan's eyes opened wide.
"They say this here?" he exclaimed
"Well, not that much, but anyway, who is going to understand them?"
That night they stayed up all night as the Greek team scored the last second of the first 15 minute extra time, with a fabulous left corner kick by Tsartas and a great silver winning header goal from Traianos Dellas. Greece was in the final. The Euro 2004 feast had begun with Greece playing against Portugal, surprising everyone – even Greece – with her success and had climbed all the way to the final. And now the Euro Cup 2004 would end with Greece and Portugal facing one another again.
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"I can't believe it we are here!" Amanda said, but this time there was no scorn in her voice, no anger in her eyes.
"You don't suppose I would miss this match do you?" Methos smirked at her. She looked great, A Greek flag painted on her left cheek, the Cup on her right. She had her hair painted in the colours of the Greek flag as well. This truly was their year, Duncan thought. He only hoped that the Olympics were successful as well. He had heard all about the worries of the city not being ready to hold them, of Greece being considered as a Terrorist country, severely lacking any safety for the Games.
But that, Methos had told him, were just words. He had been in Greece the whole winter anyhow. He had seen the preparations. He had learned how the Greeks were threatened with America backing out of the Games, if they didn't pay one of their safety providing companies. Methos told him that never before had the Greek police and Army trained as hard as now, to secure the Games. Huge amounts of money were invested to the Games and the safety. Methos was certain that they would be the best ever, and Duncan secretly hoped so. After all they Olympic Games were going home after more that a century of exile.
And as Methos confined to him, there were more chances – statistically – of someone dying in a car accident going to see the Games, that dying in a terrorist attack in the Games.
The teams entered the Stadium under thousands of fans cheering them, on the top of their lungs. Half the Stadium was Portuguese, half was Greek. Half was Red and Green, half was Blue and White. The flags were taken out as Amanda commented on the way some of the players, particularly Greek, would bend touching the ground with one hand, then bringing it to their lips and making the sign of the cross of the Orthodox Church. The Hymns were sang, even if the music was drowned by the thousand people singing along.
Amanda smiled as Methos shed a tear when the Greek Hymn was played. The whole Greek terrace seemed to be drowning the stadium as they sang along with the 11. Their voices seemed to want to reach the Heavens. As Methos has told her, they weren't 11, they were 11 million, the whole population of Greece that tonight lived in the pulse of the game about to begin. It was not only the will and souls of the 11 players in the stadium, not even only the thousand fans that had come there to see the game, but also the millions of Greeks that stood before a huge screen in every part of Greece, or before their TV sets, either in Greece or elsewhere in the world, or even before their radios. And they all whished for one thing. This was their year. This was it.
"Σε γνωρίζω από την όψη, Του σπαθιού την τρομερή"
I know thee from formidable sight of the sword
"Σε γνωρίζω από την κόψη, που με βιά μετράει την Γη"
I know thee from the cut that with force measures the Earth
"Απ' τα κόκαλα βγαλμένη των Ελλήνων τα ιερά"
Taken from the sacred bones of the Greeks
'Χαίρε, ω χαίρε, ανδρειωμένη'
Ave, oh ave courageous
"Χαίρε, ω χαίρε, 'λευτεριά!"
Ave, oh ave freedom!
The Hymn ended and the terrace exploded in cheering and singing and clapping.
The whistle sounded…
And the Game began.
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Ok. This I just had to write. The game between Greece and the Czech republic just finished – well 3 hours ago – and I had to do this. My way of thanking those people. After all, if you don't cheer for your house it falls and kills you – the saying goes.
Wasn't meaning to insult any of the other teams, they played all very well – except maybe France. My sincere congratulations to the Russian team that defeated the Greeks by 2-1, and the Czech's who stilled my heart throughout the game tonight. They deserved the victory as much as we did. Seems we were a bit more lucky.
I can only say, I wish I was in Portugal on Sunday to see the game, but I won't be able to. I will be cheering along with the 11 million of Greeks that will be watching the game, and hoping for the best from Greece.
May the best win. Portugal – Greece, it is going to be a match between two very stubborn, very even teams.
Anyone that wants to come and see the Olympics, they are going to be great. We are going to be ready, and it is going to be ready.
And please, please ignore the news that have Greece being a country with terrorist groups running in. We only had one terrorist group, called 17November that was taken out two years ago, and that was probably run by the CIA anyway. We are no less safe than America at the moment, in fact I am inclined to believe that we are more so, at the moment.