EURO 2008

It's soccer time again, and I'm enjoying it. Norway is, as usual, not qualified for the championship, but I don't really care. The soccer of the Norwegian national team the last few years has not been something to write home about, so as long as that is the case, it is just as well that they stay at home and do not compete against the better nations of Europe.

I try to watch matches every night, but with kids that should be put to bed at a certain time and so on and so forth, it is not always easy. I have had a weak spot for Portugal since EURO 2000, when they lost on golden goal against France in the semi finals. In 2004 they came all the way to the finals, losing against Greece. This time I hope they will make it all the way, and become the new European champions. Being married to a Dutchman, I do however also feel obliged to cheer for the Netherlands, and truth be told, I don't find that hard at all, especially not after their convincing victory against Italy (3-0) in their first match. If one of these two teams will go all the way to the top, I will certainly be a happy camper.

Names interest me, and as a fun fact I can announce that Gomes (in some form) occurs on no less than three national teams. Nuno Gomes on Portugal (which I see as the original Gomes, since he is after all the oldest one, and also, of course, the only Gomes I knew about before this championship), Mario Gomez on Germany and Bafetimbi Gomis on France. And with that I end this update from EURO 2008. However, should there be more Gomeses out there in the EURO 2008, I would be very grateful to hear about it.