A fan of Germany's national team signifies her leanings in front
of a giant flat
screen at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, as Germany outplayed
Team USA 1-0.
Berlin Reveler Pandemonium as Germany Outplays USA (Berliner Morgenpost, Germany)
"Although a lot of black, red and gold face paint was washed away in the rain over the course of the evening, joy and euphoria prevailed. Thirty to 40 thousand football fans celebrated the German national team’s victory and its advance as the first team in the round of 16. When the final whistle was blown, arms, flags and rain ponchos flew into the air. Others opted for full-body decoration at a booth where spray guns enveloped scantily clad young people in a fog of color. Afterwards, they proudly revealed themselves to their friends - slightly smudged - but black-red-gold from the top of their heads to the toes of their sneakers."
German midfielder and forward Thomas Müller, after scoring the only goal of Thursday's World Cup match against the United States. Müller, whoi ordinarily plays for Bayern Munich, is regarded as one of the best strikers in the world today.
Germany wins -
and Berlin celebrates: hundreds of thousands watched the game against the
United States on the fan mile. The party after the final whistle went on into
the night – with a motorcade and fireworks at the Kurfürstendamm.
Perseverance
paid off for fan mile attendees in Berlin. After a goalless first half at Team Germany's
game against the United States, a relatively long thuderstorm
broke out over the Brandenburg Gate.
On
Thursday evening, less than half hour later, widespread enthusiasm finally broke out
among German fans: Thomas Müller scored with a
rebound, and soaked visitors to Berlin cheered, waving flags and
umbrellas.
Although
a lot of black, red and gold face paint was washed away in the rain over the
course of the evening, joy and euphoria prevailed. Thirty to 40 thousand football
fans celebrated the German national team’s victory and its advance as the first
team in the round of 16. When the final whistle was blown, arms, flags and rain
ponchos flew into the air. The crowd applauded, whistled, and danced on the Strasse
des 17. Juni.
Some
headed to the Kurfürstendamm
where again, a motorcade was forming. Countless honking vehicles cruised
through the western part of the city. At the Kranzler
corner, a flag-waving crowd cheered the success of JogiLöws' team [Team
Germany's coach].In the evening, fans set off
flares and fireworks. Police responded by closing off the Kurfürstendamm.
By around 10:30pm, the celebrating crowd had dissipated.
'Not a perfect
game, but it’s great that we advanced'
On
the fan mile in the Tiergarten, there were revelers
from across Germany, in addition to European tourists and a
smattering of USA fans waving their flags. High school students from Frankfurt am
Main used their class trip to Berlin to visit the fan mile, alongside their
regular cultural and political science program.
"Three
to nothing ... no question who will close the deal today," one declared with
certainly before the game. Afterwards, a student from Berlin said, "Not a
perfect game, but it’s great we've advanced."
German
fans wore a wide variety of clothing - especially headgear - which was in
keeping with the World Cup song, "We are the black-red-gold generation."
In addition to caps and hats, young men and women wore wigs, pirate bandannas,
little umbrellas, faux or real Mohawk hairstyles, flower wreaths, and flags -
all in German colors.
Others
opted for full-body decoration at a booth where spray guns enveloped
scantily clad young people in a fog of color. Afterwards, they proudly revealed
themselves to their friends - slightly smudged - but black-red-gold from the
top of their heads to the toes of their sneakers.
Willy
Kausch, organizer of Berlin's World Cup fan mile, expressed
his satisfaction with the first three days of the Cup.
"Up
to now it was pretty quiet, but the atmosphere was good," Kausch said. "Things developed nicely over the course
of the day as well, and we’re pleased with the number of visitors. By early
afternoon, thousands had already visited the mile." In addition to
organizing football fan miles over recent years, Kausch
also organizes the Brandenburg Gate's New Year's celebration.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Girls share a shirt at a World Cup public viewing area near the Brandenburg
Gate in Berlin during Thursday's Germany-USA World Cup match.
Fan mile
organizer is satisfied
Christian
Gaebler, state secretary in the Senate Department for
Urban Development, was also upbeat. "There were no problems, but then this
was professional and organized based on considerable experience." In the
planning phase, there were long debates on proper security fencing for the fan
mile and other details, and at times, the project appeared to be in jeopardy.
On
Saturday, at the start of the round of 16, the fan mile will be open for all matches.
Previous games attracted tens of thousands of visitors to the section of the Strasse des 17 in the Tiergarten,
which amounts roughly to a little over one square mile.
