Goans are known for their love of football. So when 2 major International tournaments come up at the same time, you just know that a lot of Goans up and down the length and breadth of the state are going to be staying up all night to catch the games. We are referring to the Copa America and Euro 2016 off-course!
Copa America
The Copa America, involving mainly South American teams is approaching its final stages. With Goan favourite, Brazil already packing their bags to go home, it will be interesting to see which team can go all the way and lift the coveted trophy. Last time round it was Chile.
Quarter final matches schedule:
Friday 17th June – USA v. Equador (7am IST)
Saturday 18th June -Peru v. Colombia (5.30am IST)
Sunday 19th June – Argentina v. Venezuela (4.30am IST)
Sunday 19th June – Mexico v. Chile (7.30am IST)
Euro 2016
Euro 2016 kicked off last Friday. As if within a blink of an eye the first round has just got over. If you have not been able to catch much of the action, do not fear there is plenty more coming your way. The first twelve games witnessed some silky skills and also wonderful goals.
The first round results:
France 2 –Romania 1
Albania 0-Switzerland 1
Wales 2-Slovakia 1
England 1-Russia 1
Turkey 0-Croatia 1
Poland 1-Northern Ireland 0
Germany 2-Ukraine 0
Spain 1-Czech Republic 0
Republic of Ireland 1 –Sweden 1
Belgium 0-Italy 2
Austria 0-Hungary 2
Portugal 1- Iceland 1
Where to watch the games?
As you can see there are no real upsets after the first round. The second round is where it definitely becomes much more exciting. Here are 5 places Goans can catch the Euro 2016 action:
- At home -The obvious one is to sit at home and watch the games, but watching alone isn’t that exciting and you could end up falling asleep, even after overdosing on some well brewed coffee.
- At a friend’s place– This is better, but still there is the issue of power cuts due to the monsoons.
- YouTube- Rather than keep up the whole night and be drowsy at work the next day, you could just catch the highlights on YouTube and still behave cool with your friends, like you have watched the whole game.
- A Bar or restaurant -If you really want to catch the atmosphere, you can find a handful of good Restaurants or bars in Goa showing most of the matches on the big screen. Herald’s Café supplement today listed six places to check out the games. They include 49ers (Colva), Vault 18 (Panjim), Lounge terminal (Panjim), John Seagull (Bogmalo), Café Mojo (Panjim) and Firefly (Benaulim).
- The Stadium-There is nothing like the real thing. Being in France to watch the games in the stadium is surely the ultimate experience. (But do try to stay clear of the violence).
However you plan to watch the games, we hope you enjoy yourselves. Let us know who you are following in the Copa America and Euro 2016? Is it still Portugal for Goans?
