A flag hung from the rafters of the Stade de Genève declaring ‘Portugal – EURO hosts 2004 and hosts 2008′. It certainly felt that way on Saturday night as the Portuguese kicked off their latest European adventure with victory over Turkey; second-half goals from Pepe and Raul Meireles ensuring they topped Group A after the first round of matches.
Will to win
Whoever wrote the banner raised an interesting point. With more than 174,000 football-loving Portuguese immigrants living in Switzerland, any match in this region is tantamount to a home game for Luiz Felipe Scolari’s swashbuckling side. If they continue to get behind their team as they did against Turkey, their route to the final will be made an awful lot easier. “It’s just like being back home,” said captain Nuno Gomes. “From one perspective, having so many fans here has really helped us to relax and feel at home; from the other it has made us realise just how much winning this tournament means to the supporters. The expectation is huge but we know we will deliver.”
Ever since Scolari’s players set foot on Swiss soil, they have been pursued by fans and media alike as if The Beatles had rolled into town. First an entire airport came to a standstill when they touched down in central Europe – with the media circus hustling and bustling to catch the first glimpse of the squad. Then came traffic jams which made Calcutta look like a sleepy village in the Welsh countryside, as more than 12,000 Portuguese supporters descended on their first open training session in Neuchatel.
On Saturday night it was Geneva’s turn to seize the Portuguese baton as Cristiano Ronaldo and company prepared for their tussle with Turkey. Over the last two months, the western city has had a dramatic facelift, trading its usual corporate grey for a forest of red and green flags and bunting. Switzerland and Austria may be the official tournament hosts but, had the atrocious weather clouded the judgment of your SatNav system this weekend, you would have been forgiven for thinking you had landed in the centre of Lisbon.

euro2008.uefa.com