Bill left the Berlin Olympic Stadium as the Italians celebrated not waiting for the presentations. He assumed this time there would not be any communal prayers (as the Brazilians were out) - his usual exit point.
Somehow he felt it was an unsatisfactory conclusion - the penalty shoot out (dramatic nonetheless) & Zidane's dismissal plus the seeming inevitability of England's under performance all contributed to the feeling that the tournament could have been much better.
The S-bahn quickly took him back to his pension near the Zoological Gardens where he quickly blended into the heady atmosphere.
Italian flags & car horns merged with the general melee of drinkers & partygoers - Bill somehow failed to resist the lure of a weissbeer & a couple of cocktails.
The long road had ended.
Bill's personal stats were :-
Number of games attended..................... 28
Number of teams seen ............................ 26 (missed Brazil, Ghana,Switzerland,Saudi Arabia , Ivory Coast & Costa Rica)
Mileage in car ............................................ 7000 km
Mileage on train ........................................ 3600 km
Stadiums .................................................... 12
Best game.................................................... germany v italy
Best performance ...................................... argentina (v serbia)
Best goal ...................................................... maxi rodriguez (v mexico)
Best supporters .......................................... korea & argentina
Most expensive (black market) tickets...... mexico's games
Most awkward stadium entrance.............. Kaiserslautern(up that hill)
Biggest surprise............................................the weather
Least surprising...........................................England lose on penalties
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