During the Italia-Ucraina match
I’m watching soccer on TV and I’m interested, but somehow not so riveted that I can’t write at the same time. Anyway, the game hasn’t started yet — I guess it’s the same pre-game nonsense we sit through in the States. At the moment, an army of commentators are talking at us. One of the commentators looks and sounds a lot like Danny Aiello. Danny Aiello and the other commentators are speaking Italian, so who knows what they are saying, but they no doubt are "breaking it down" for the audience. Now they are showing a mix of crowd shots and game highlights, backed by a really crappy English-language pop song.
At any rate, I’m reading a lot — must be on vacation. I just finished a mystery by Patricia Cornwell called Trace. Hero medical examiner, creepy serial killer. If I’m to believe the jacket, Cornwell is a hotshot mystery writer. It was a page-turner, but not all that good. The book was left in the apartment by a previous guest, apparently. There’s a shelf of books. Good thing, considering how much reading we’re doing, especially Mrs. W., who spends less time walking around town. I walk often, although sometimes I read during rest stops.
Oh, I think it’s the Italian national anthem. Game… imminent. Hard to believe that the Italians would have an atonal national anthem , but all I can hear is an organ droning on tunelessly. I guess the stadium is too boomy. Now, it’s the Ukrainian national anthem. Same problem. I guess the acoustics suck.
The coin toss. Game… imminent.
Game on! The Ukrainians have VERY yellow uniforms.
The Italians score early! Horns blare! The neighbors shout! Mrs. W., sitting in another room studying Italian, is concerned. She doesn’t understand.
The Italian team looks a lot stronger; they’ve had a few good chances and it’s still pretty early in the first half. Oh dear, the crowd is doing the wave — that’s so "When Harry met Sally".
An Italian player comes to the sidelines, injured. I think he got hit in il capo, if I understood the announcer correctly (wouldn’t that be something?). I think il capo is just below il cap.
Now an Italian player is being carried off on a stretcher. Never mind, he refuses the stretcher! Maybe the Ukrainians are waging a war of attrition. They look bigger and stronger, and they just had their first scoring chance — a header in front of the net, though it wasn’t even close.
I’ve watched three games or so now and here’s a thing is: the players foul each other a lot. They grab; they push. When they’re caught, they whine. One of the Ukrainians was just whining. I think the refs for this match are Belgian. What language did he use?
Halftime! Mrs W. slipped in late in the half and is playing a few hands of Yukon. Playing Yukon is something we do while on vacation and at virtually no other time. Yukon is related to Klondike, which is the game many people think of as Solitaire, but Yukon is much more winnable. Skill also matters more, and although I shouldn’t brag, I’m so practiced that I won 7 or 8 games in a row at one point during this trip. Before you accuse me, I shuffled the deck thoroughly between games, at least I meant to. Besides, Mrs. W. and I played gin with the same cards in the middle of that winning streak; you’d think that would organize the deck differently (in the absence of good shuffling). In all the years I’ve been playing Yukon, I’d never had a winning streak of more than 3 that I can remember.
Second half looks like first half: the Italians just had a scoring chance, then lost a player to injury.
Oo! The Ukrainians just had one go right through the goal mouth. And another great chance, a header directed at the corner of the net and stopped by the goalie. Of course, the Italian goalie is now injured. He banged his head on the goalpost. I guess he’ll be okay. Ukraine is still putting pressure on; they look much more competitive this half. They just had two dead-on shots, but instead of tying the game, they let Italy charge down the field and put in a header! 2-0. The neighbors cheer again!
Match is probably over with 30 minutes plus a little left to play, although Ukraine just hit the crossbar with a very hard kick.
Okay, it’s over. Italy just scored another goal, a very pretty one: a charge from the side, a centering pass, and a tap in. There’s only 20 or 25 minutes left and the Ukrainians look down in the mouth. It would be hard for them to look any other way. The hole is too deep. I think the Italians are emptying the bench, although I seem to recall that there is a limit to how many substitutions a team can make during the game.
Well, this entry, which promised to be both long and boring, has more than reached its potential. Final: 3-0 Italia! Now there will be lots of crazy fans racing their motorcycles or cars around town, trailing Italian flags, and honking. Better warn Mrs. W.
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