Watching The Euros In Mozambique
Intro
During my time in Mozambique, the main focus was fishing for billfish. However, one of the highlights of the trip ended up being watching a Euro match in Vilankulo, where Portugal was playing. For those unaware, Mozambique used to be a Portuguese colony, and it still has a big focus on Portugal as it is one of the six countries in Africa that speaks Portuguese as its main language.
The energy at the bar was insane and something I'll never forget.
What Happened?
Ahh, the Euros 2024. As an avid CR7 fan, since I was just a young boy, I was backing Portugal to win the Euros that year. Well, the fishing captain informed me the night before day 1 that we would be heading out to watch the game that evening.
So, he picked me up from the Airbnb I was staying at and took me to one of the "boujee" spots in the city.
Unfortunately, there had been a cable outage at the spot, which meant we had to head to the more local spot. If you have followed along my travels, you know I enjoy watching big football games in local spots.
We ended up arriving right on the stroke of kickoff for the Czech Republic game. It wasn't that packed for group stages, but there must have been at least 30 people in the small bar in Vilankulo.
As the game progressed, the tension throughout the bar grew. When Provod took the lead in the 62 minute, there was a deflation throughout the crowd in the bar, with some screaming and shouting going on 🤣.
However, if you watched the game, you know what was to come. 7 minutes after Provods goal, Portugal equalized on an own goal, thus tying up the game at 1-1. There might have been a couple of celebrations, but it was more of a sense of relief in the crowd.
For the next 20 minutes, the crowd was on the edge of their seats. Until the 88th minute, when Ronaldo leaped up, hit the post, and Jota snuck in the rebound. However, while the fans went wild, I knew that Ronaldo was marginally offside. The hope throughout Mozambique had deflated.
Until Conceicao gave Portugal the lead in the 92nd minute, and the whole crowd went ballistic. The final whistle blew minutes later, and it was all over. The people of Mozambique were a happy bunch that evening, and lots of Mac Mahons were shared.
Final Thoughts
Watching the Portugal vs Czech Republic game in Mozambique was an experience that I've never had. While Mozambique and Portugal are separate countries, there was still inherent support for the country as a whole (partially due to the lack of the national Mozambique team, is my guess).
If you are in town and want to watch some football, there are a couple of bars that play the games.
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