The View from Germany: A Great World Cup Start & a Big Day Ahead

It was a late Friday night for many people in Germany following their team’s 4-2 victory against Costa Rica in the opening match of the World Cup. The Germans had many reasons to celebrate. Their team got a victory that puts them in good position to advance to the second round. The competition also got off to a largely trouble-free start.

After the final whistle blew last night, I went down to the Fan Mile in Berlin to take in the atmosphere. Cars were honking their horns, fans waving German flags and there was no shortage of beer happy fans singing the songs of their homeland. Thousands of people milled around, still pumped up about their team’s four-goal performance.

Even as the Poland and Ecuador match started off on the big screen televisions, the shouts of “Deutschland” raged on, drowning out the eagerly beer happy Poland fans rhythmically chanting “Polska, Polska, Polska.”

The mood only got more festive as the beer continued to flow and Ecuador managed to put not one, but two goals in against Germany’s neighbor to the east. Some were rooting against Poland, but most were just happy to see good football being played on the first day of this month-long celebration. A record setting day at that.

We get to do it all over again today, which is really the beautiful thing about the World Cup. Two of the tournament’s big boys are in action with England and Argentina hoping to kick off their campaigns in style. Everyone’s favorite dark horse Ivory Coast joins Trinidad and Tobago in making their World Cup debuts.

Nick and Peter are in Frankfurt to capture the sights and sounds of the England – Paraguay match. Sean is headed to Hamburg to get some videos and photos of Argentina – Ivory Coast.

Chris and I will be liveblogging the England vs. Paraguay and Sweden vs. Trinidad & Tobago matches. Daryl will do the blow-by-blow for the Argentina vs. Ivory Coast match.

Sit back, relax and enjoy another fabulous day of World Cup football. This competition is going to be one for the ages.

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