A warning: this post is going to be a little long. But after the attention I gave soccer in the last entry and what transpired last night, I have no choice but to respond.

As those of you who follow the beautiful game know, last night France defeated Ireland to claim a spot in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. But not without a heavy dose of drama and controversy, bien sur. Ireland scored a solid, well-developed goal to level the aggregate score at 1-1 early in the match, taking the air out of Stade de France in Paris. Regulation ended 67 tense minutes later, leading to overtime.

In the first of two fifteen minute overtimes, France’s captain Thierry Henry (the only athlete in the world who gives Derek Jeter a run for his money in the competition for the position of “Adam Weiner’s Favorite Athlete”) set up a goal that put France ahead. Jubilation in the stadium. Ecstasy on the field.

One problem: the replays CLEARLY showed that Thierry used his hand to control the ball, twice, before passing it for the assist. Even the unabashedly partisan French commentators admitted the goal was tainted. But there’s certainly no instant replay or coaches’ challenge in soccer. So there the score stood, a 2 -1 France victory on aggregate.

I’m not too proud of the way we qualified. Ireland didn’t give up a single clean goal in either match (the first one in Dublin was rather lucky for France), didn’t play dirty and didn’t play boring soccer. But, as they say here, tant pis. Life is fair when it feels like being fair. And I will take the result this time. I’ve followed this team’s qualifying run for months, checking ESPN for recaps of matches against the Faeroe Islands at work this summer, daydreaming about potential starting lineups in class, devouring Le Monde’s analysis of the team. Did I mention I like sports?

I was also able to get over my mixed feelings thanks to Monsieur Henry himself. After the final whistle blew, he went and sat with one of the dejected Irish players, a guy he played with/against often in the English league. The look on his face seemed to say he too was bothered by the manner in which he gave his country a historic victory. Classy guy.

Other observations:

• As soon as the match ended, “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas started blaring of the stadium loudspeakers. Interesting that the first song played at an event of such national importance, held in the capital, would be in English. The French really are quite proud and defensive of their language. Also, hearing this song made me laugh because it is by far the song I’ve heard the most out and about in France. Literally every weekend night out is good for a guaranteed two listens in the bars or clubs, minimum. Don’t know why, but it’s the song of the year here.

• The French goalie, Hugo Lloris played absolutely out of his mind over the two games. His defense left him out to dry on the only goal he conceded and he many about 4 or 5 truly remarkable saves. As he was walking of the field to chats of his name, the broadcast flashed a little infographic on the bottom of the screen: Hugo Lloris – 22 years old. Which brings me to my next topic…

I turned 21 on Monday. It was a beautiful day, I spent it with people I cared about, I ate great food and had a lot of fun. I got a sweet “I heart Aix-en-Provence” t-shirt from the host family. Good birthday. But it wasn’t until I saw Lloris’ age on TV that I first felt older, or at least felt the significance of the change in age. Here’s someone a few months older than me guarding the net for la France. Playing center field for the Yankees or quarterback for the Packers doesn’t really compare when it comes to pressure. There’s national pride at stake here, and everyone knows there’s plenty of that in France.

In any case, get excited for WC 2010, starting June 11th. I really, really hope France and the USA aren’t put in the same group…

Below is a picture of my wonderful host family and me.

La famille