The soccer game between Croatia and Cameroon was aired a bit late for my taste, and so I missed it. Only this morning I learned from the World Wide Web that Croatia had beaten Cameroon four to zilch. Ouch! The former team is thus dubbed “classy” and the latter “sorry” by some newspapers. In short, I missed a great game only because it started at midnight, when I was already fast asleep. But I will also miss the game between Croatia and Mexico. I will be going to Zagreb tomorrow morning, and there is no television in my beloved’s apartment. Come to think of it, I will miss the rest of the world tournament in Brazil, as well. I do not plan to return to Motovun before the middle of July. God only knows how Croatia will fare, but my beloved and I will know its fate only by listening to the crowds in the Croatian capital. If they are quiet, Croatia lost, and if not, it won. As simple as that. Our lofty perspective on soccer, too.

Addendum (June 24, 2014)

Well, it is over. Although Mexico would have been victorious with a mere tie, it beat Croatia three to one. Ouch! My beloved and I heard the one and only goal last night very well, but the three goals that took Croatia out of the world soccer tournament were perfectly inaudible. And this is how it was around midnight, when the game was over. The crowds were silent. They dispersed as though soccer was but a minor pastime. The rest of the tournament will be peaceful across Croatia in spite of the avowed love for the sport. Alleluia!