Well, that was that.
Unfortunately, it was an uninspiring final World Cup match between Spain and Netherlands with neither side scoring in regulation time but Spain finally scored a well-deserved, single goal in overtime. It was a little difficult to watch in Armenia, as the game ended just before 2 am here, but the Gyumri hotel manager was nice enough to set up a small TV in the lobby for us. He even came over occasionally to join in the cheers and boos.
On the other hand, Uruguay and Germany played an outstanding game! I think many people would have preferred to watch that as the final. A total of five goals were scored and the play never seemed to slow.
I’m glad I was able to watch both games from Armenia. The locals would bring small TVs outside into the cooler air (which seems to always hold true with the nightly breezes) and watched the games together. It was a very different from an American experience and absolutely worth a sleepless night.
And that also marks almost the end of our little excurse into the world of soccer. Levon Lachikyan will have the famous “last word” tomorrow and I can go back to regular life without the excitement of the world cup. I’ll miss it.