Preface: On the basis of last evening's performances, I cannot see Portugal beating France in the semis of the 2006 World Cup.
Portugal will have to do much better to even begin to draw with France. The following articles are interesting. I wonder whether they reflect the true mood of Goans in Goa. Reading what is posted by our regular journos on GoaNet, it does not appear that the stories are that accurate. Are they? ...or are we being ONLY selectively fed news/revision based on the personal biases of some of the journos? These fellas Sanjay Rajan and N. Ananthanarayanan could hardly be Goans. They must be Sashticars or something like that (;-) jc http://in.today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=sportsNews&storyID=2006-07-02T103347Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-257839-1.xml Goans sing as Portugal advance to last four Sun Jul 2, 2006 10:39 AM IST15 By Sanjay Rajan CALANGUTE, GOA, India (Reuters) - Residents in the western Indian enclave of Goa took to the streets on Saturday night to celebrate Portugal's World Cup quarter-final victory and the former colony is hoping the side can continue their good run. Goa became a Portuguese colony in the early 16th century after explorer Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope to discover the sea route to India in 1498. The Portuguese rule ended in 1961 when Indian forces entered the coastal enclave dotted with swaying coconut palms, but the state retains a distinct Portuguese flavour, especially the love of soccer. "I've been praying for Portugal to win over England," Sam Dias told Reuters as he left to join his friends in celebration at the Calangute beach. "My love for Portugal is not only because of our history, I just love the way they play football, especially Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo," said the 17-year-old student, an avid footballer himself. "Those were great saves by goalkeeper Ricardo." For older residents like Antonio Jerome D'Souza, who remember the final days of colonial rule and still speak a little Portuguese, the affection for the Iberian side has more to do with history. "We were under them and I remember those days fondly," said the 51-year-old, who runs a beach resort. "Our natures are similar I guess." Monsoon showers have not dampened the enthusiasm as soccer clubs and resorts have put up giant screens, much like during Euro 2004 when Goans congregated and prayed for a Portuguese success and cried when the host team lost to Greece in the final. "I remember that night clearly," said Menico Goes Proecna, sipping rum in celebration at the Calangute Association. "Most of us went home depressed," the 54-year-old said, as youngsters carrying Portugal flags screamed with joy. "If I remember right, Portugal beat England on penalties then as well. "I hope they go on to win the ultimate trophy this time. They played so well today." ============================ http://www.rediff.com/sports/2004/jul/05goa.htm Goa goes flat after Portugal defeat N. Ananthanarayanan | July 05, 2004 11:18 IST Soccer fans in the former Portuguese colony of Goa slumped in dejection after the hosts lost 1-0 to Greece in the Euro 2004 final in Lisbon on Sunday. Thousands of people across the India's western coastal state, who began partying hours before the match began just past midnight local time, melted away into a mild drizzle from many venues where they had assembled to watch the game on big TV screens. Hundreds of soccer clubs in the tiny state, under Portugese rule from the early 16th century until 1961, and many beach resorts in the tourist paradise had arranged celebrations after their favourite side made it to the final. Silence descended on the local Calangute Soccer Club in Goa's main city of Panaji, packed with hundreds of boisterous locals and foreigners, the moment striker Angelos Charisteas headed in the winner in the 57th minute. "Greece played a better game and showed better tactics," said Joseph Carvalho, a 56-year-old shop-keeper, one among a generation having strong emotional links with Portugal. please visit "NEW" on The Goan Forum at http://www.colaco.net _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
