http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs Fearless. Thoughtful. Witty. Canadian. And Opinionated. Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:35:18 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en BARCELONA—As I awoke this morning from uneasy dreams, it took me a couple of minutes to figure out exactly where I was, and how I’d gotten here. Turns out I was on the couch of my man in Barca, Lizou. “David, I’ve just had the strangest dream. I dreamed that Spain ... http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/06/30/campeones-the-euro-2008-final/ PARIS—And then there were dos. Or zwei. Spain beat Russia 3-0 last night to reach their first major final since 1984. They’ll play Germany on Sunday in Vienna, at the Ernst Happel Stadium, for the title of Champions of Europe 2008. A pretty sexy match-up, no? And beyond that, there’s the fact ... http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/06/27/ole-cow-euro-semifinal-2/ PARIS—What a finish in Basel last night, a wild ending to one of the most exciting Euro semifinals ever played! Or so we’ve been told. Didn’t see Miroslav Klose’s go-ahead goal in the 79th minute? Missed Turkey’s last-gasp injury-time charge, and the final whistle? Yeah, you and me both. Apparently I was ... http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/06/26/das-stromausfall-euro-semifinal-1/ PARIS—So what the hell am I supposed to do with myself tonight? For the first time in 17 days, this evening’s slate of high-drama international football matches is empty. I’ve really enjoyed the last two-and-a-half weeks for not having to decide what to do to entertain myself on a given evening. ... http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/06/23/weekend-update-euro-day-17/ CHAMBOURCY, FRANCE—The Germans sunk Portuguese hopes of Euro glory last night in Basel with a 3-2 victory high on fireworks and drama. Or so I hear. I didn’t actually watch the match, which by all accounts was a classic, and another triumph for attacking soccer in this gloriously offensive edition of ... http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/06/20/the-sms-lusitania-euro-day-14/ PARIS—Vi ses, Sweden, and khairete, Greece. While we're at it: zbohem, Czech Republic; uf widerlüge, Switzerland; pfueatti, Austria; do widzenia, Poland; la revedere, Romania; and au revoir France. Oh, and a very belated cheerio to England. Can’t forget them! With Russia’s impressive 2-0 victory over Sweden last night, the final eight (or The ... http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/06/19/the-e8-euro-day-13/ PARIS—"Viva España! Viva España!" That was the chant echoing around the Place de la Contrescarpe after the Italians eliminated the French from Euro 2008 last night with a 2-0 victory in Zurich. The supporters of Les Bleus filed out of bars and choked the square, but there were still a few ... http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/06/18/tricolore-blues-euro-day-12/ PARIS—Well, I guess they can't all be Ali-Frazier III. On Sunday, we saw the Thrilla in Geneva. Last night’s Germany-Austria game was more like Tyson-McNeeley. Yawn. I will say this about the Austrians: they held their own in the scoreless first half. The Germans had some dynamite opportunities to put the game ... http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/06/17/viennese-lullabye-euro-day-11/ PARIS—The match of the day, of the weekend, of the tournament, of recent footballing memory! Yes, the Swiss defeated the Portuguese B-team last night in what will go down in popular lore as a—no, wait, it was that other game, the Turks versus the Czechs, that had commentators on British TV ... http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/06/16/czech-please-euro-day-10/ PARIS—Ok, ok. So it looks like the Netherlands might be a pretty good side after all. Saturday the Oranje matched, and perhaps even surpassed, the magnitude of their shockingly skilled victory over current World Cup holders Italy four days previous. In putting the screws to the French (the ’06 runners-up) in ... http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/06/14/a-clockwork-oranje-euro-day-8/