Of the Euro '08 and the Englishman's woes.....

The conclusion of the IPL(Indian Premier League) on the 1st of June with the Royals finally clinching the title in a fitting finale has put an end to a 45-day long fest which the world and the Indian fan in particular enjoyed to the maximum. It was wonderful to watch how the IPL had made its way into the daily routine of so many Indians that you couldnt help but wish it would go on for ever!
However less than a week after the conclusion of the IPL, here comes another sporting extravaganza in the EURO '08 Austria-Switzerland; reason enough for the Indian soccer fan to sit up and start cheering again (this time sans the cheer girls though [;-)] )! My memories of the Euro cup take me back to an evening in 2004 when 10 of us footballing freaks had gathered at Chippa's place and occupied every inch of the TV-room in anticipation of a close battle between England & France, two of the powerhouses of the tourney. There were four unfortunate English supporters amongst us (yours truly included) and six others either pro-France or anti-England. What we witnessed that night was one of the all time great games of the Euro Cup, what with England leading the scoreline till almost 80 minutes until the combined efforts of a magnificent Zidane and a horrendous Gerrard conspired to finish it off for England in the space of six minutes and hand France an unlikely 2-1 victory.
Inspite of this setback, we continued to support the Englishmen religiously and the team also gave us reason to cheer by entering the knock-out stages. There they met a rampaging Portugal side, and again after seemingly appearing in control till the halfway stage and after losing their only potential strike weapon in Wayne Rooney to an injury, gave away the equaliser in the closing minutes of the game. Extra-time ended with the score tied at 2-2 with Rui Costa and Lampard getting a goal each for their sides. Beckham then missed the first penalty for England, and though Rui Costa soon missed to tie the scores again, it was left to Ricardo who first saved Vassel's spot kick and then scored himself to send England crashing out on penalties for the fourth time in a major competition.
Little did I know, that I was to witness an agonizingly similar story as I watched England take on Portugal again, this time in the Q/F's of the 2006 World Cup, at the Miramar Beach in the company of my friend and ardent English fan Atul. The minority English supporters (the support to Portugal was huge, considering we were in Goa) saw as first Beckham limped out due to injury, then Rooney was red-carded for a stamp. England still managed to battle bravely and take the game to extra-time and eventually to the shootout, only to ruin all the hard work as Lampard, Gerrard and Carragher missed from the spot.
England they say, expects to lose on penalties. And the curse is now not only limited to the English team but is also fast inflicting its players with John Terry being the latest victim, with the fateful spotkick he took in Moscow set to haunt him for the rest of his life. It is because of all this that although England's failure to qualify for the Euro'08 saddens me, in a way I am grateful that it guarantees that there will be no heartbreak! That although it has left many a English fans disappointed, they must also realise that this tourney gives them a chance to sit back and view all the action neutrally and enjoy it to the fullest without bothering of whos gonna win! With that, its over to Austria-Switzerland!