Dream Dies

About 1,000 people had gathered on the street outside the bar to watch the match on a huge screen. Children clambered on top of telephone cabins to get a better view while hundreds of other fans squeezed onto the pavement,customize bobblehead, clinging onto their black,custom bo, red and gold German flags for comfort.
Up until the second half, the German fans played their vuvuzelas, chanted "Deutschland" and drank beer to soothe their nerves, nervously optimistic.
And there were a few good chances.
In the 32nd minute, Piotr Trochowksi's low drive stretched Spain's goalkeeper Iker Casillas, leaving fans gasping for breath.
"Why did Thomas Muller have to get suspended?" one fan grumbled, referring to the fact that Germany's 20 year-old rising star missed the semi-final.
But the European champions proved to have the upper hand, and for German fans the night ended in bitter disappointment.
"I'm so upset as I'd really hoped Germany would reach the final - we wanted to take on our Dutch rivals," said Markus, clutching his beer bottle.
"I'm still proud of our team though - they were young, fast and dynamic and did well to get so far," he added.
As the final whistle sounded, a few bottles were hurled onto the ground, and some fans screamed: "I can't believe it - no way - this is unfair.
Germans stood in stunned silence outside a crowded bar in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district as Spain's Carles Puyol delivered his bullet header in the 73rd minute of the World Cup semi-final.
Tears welled up in one fan's eyes and an elderly man thrust his fist through the air and shouted "Wie schade!" (What a shame!).
Another woman hid her face behind her hands and asked her friend in disbelief: "Was that a goal or was I imagining things?"
Sadly, she wasn't, and after Puyol's goal the young German squad struggled to regain momentum. Germany's dream of reaching the final quickly fizzled out.
Dozens of people picked up the chairs that they'd carried from their homes to the pub and strolled off,customized bobbleheads, some walking arm-in-arm.
"I've watched every Germany match and I really thought we'd make it to the final - I'm sad,custom bobblehead, I just feel so upset," said Karolin, as she packed up her chairs. "What are we going to do now that the football is over for us?"
From villages in Bavaria to big cities like Cologne or Hanover, Germans gathered to watch the matches at public viewing areas.
In Berlin, more than 300,000 German fans packed into the so-called "Fan Mile" behind the Brandenburg Gate to watch the semi-final on giant screens,customize bobblehead, forming a sea of black, red and gold.
A few scuffles broke out after the match on Wednesday night when some German fans vented their anger over their team's defeat,Terry Bradshaw - The Greatest Ever.
"Spain didn't deserve to win - Germany was the better team during the tournament and it was just bad luck that they won," said Jens, a teacher.
Ahead of the semi-final, the German team sent a letter to fans,,, thanking them for their support.
"We've all seen the pictures back home. Hundreds of thousands in the public squares, millions of television screens,custom, emotions in black, red and gold,customized bobbleheads," it said.
"Even if you're almost 10,000km away, your support is here for every single one of us. Your enthusiasm gives us an extra kick. Your support makes us stronger," it went on, before claiming that "our road to the final has not yet come to an end".
But on Wednesday night, the German dream came to an abrupt end.