Euro 2012
June 13, 2012
As the game comes to an end, Yani has a brief panic attack as Portugal gets a chance to shoot a goal. But the player misses, the game comes to an end and the cheering begins.
The long wait and staying up late have been worth it - Germany has won its first Euro 2012 match. "There's a spirit," she says about her favorite team – the "Panzers."
"There's a fire every time they play."
When the games start in Ukraine and Poland it's practically the middle of the night in Indonesia but this is no matter to Yani and her friends, who are all supporting Germany.
"They see the players are very good, they see it from the Bundesliga. They are really optimistic and they really want to watch this game because it's pretty exciting," she explains.
Exciting and a good start to the competition for Germany and Yani.
Night after night, there is hustle and bustle on the Jalan Kemang Raya in the capital Jakarta. SUVs are neck and neck, mopeds wind their way through the traffic. The bars are full and there is football everywhere.
One channel is broadcasting all the games - all 27 of them live. There are screens dotted all over the country.
"Indonesians love football - although the Indonesian national team sucks," says Aryo, who is wearing a Germany shirt and sweatband. He and his wife Rizky have found a comfy place in a huge international bar called "Die Stube," which has several screens in each room. There are predominantly Germany fans here, but some are there to support Holland, Spain and Russia.
"We support German every time there's a tournament," Aryo says. "The Euro, World Cup and then for the Champions League there's Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea."
Yani explains where Germany got their nickname from: "They are called 'Der Panzer' because they are really determined to make a goal. And that's what I really like."
She is optimistic about Wednesday's match with Holland. Either way though, Indonesian soccer fans will continue watching right until the final. There will be time to catch up on sleep later …
Author: Monika Griebeler / act
Editor: Sarah Berning