Portugal – eu te amo!

What a wonderful day for Portugal supporters across the globe.

I started my day off by spending some time with my mum in the mall, where she took this picture of me with Zakumi, the official FIFA mascot for this year’s World Cup.

Me with Zakumi! Isn't he awesome?!

Then it was time for us to head home to watch the 12:30 match between Portugal and Korea (DPR) – as an avid Portugal supporter, there was no way I could miss the match. Besides, my mum had her little Portuguese flag out on the table, so it helped to ‘brighten up’ the atmosphere and get me in the mood for what I hoped would be a great soccer match.

And I certainly wasn’t left disappointed.

Although I don’t care much for Christiano Ronaldo, I’ll admit that he is a phenomenal player. Throughout the whole match he was exuberant, running about like there was no tomorrow, passing the ball and defending like a true soccer star should. He was even able to laugh off the two or three goals he missed, which given the circumstances – not progressing any further in the tournament – must be quite a difficult feet.

Now a lot of people say that it was an ‘easy’ win for Portugal since Korea isn’t such a great team. I, on the other hand, believe that the Koreans played a good match today – Portugal was merely better. It was their pure energy combined with that of the crowd, who were mostly Portugal supporters. How I wish I could have been in Dias Tavern today among those Portuguese, feeling the glow of victory and savouring each moment as Portugal scored three goals in a record seven minutes (!!!)

After their third goal, there was no stopping them. Ronaldo finally managed to score his own goal, the last one of the match, and Portugal came out victorious with a staggering win of seven goals against zero.

Waving my flag 😉

I am waiting in utter anticipation for Friday’s game, since Portugal will be up against Brazil, who are currently leading in their division with six points (Portugal has four). I may not have Portuguese blood in me (or at least, I don’t think I do), and I may not speak the language (luckily not a pre-requisite), and yet I love them as if they were my own team. It’s not that I’m not proud of my country or my team. It’s just an aspect of the ‘environment’ I grew up in.

I hope to go out for a decent Portuguese meal at Dias Tavern soon, and to look into uncle Dan’s familiar, friendly face, and hug him tightly, knowing that – in a way – I am home.