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Germans celebrate through the night after Portugal victory

Germans were preparing to celebrate into the night on Thursday after their team beat fancied Portugal to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2008.

From reserved Hamburg in the north to classy Munich in the south via bohemian Berlin, fans took to the streets sounding their klaxons and setting off firecrackers following an exciting 3-2 win by the team which has won the title three times in the past.

In Berlin, a group of flag-waving youngsters several hundred strong, their faces painted black, red and gold and chanting “Deutschland, Deutschland,” raced through the capital’s main boulevards while a correspondent reported frenzied celebrations on the central Potsdamerplatz square.

Many Germans, thousands of whom have hung national flags from their window sills, had been worried they might find the stylish Portuguese a bridge too far after they had managed a bare minimum 1-0 win over neighbors Austria in their final group game.

But led by the combative Michael Ballack and Bastian Schweinsteiger the Germans pulled off a deserved win.

Now, fans who espied a new dawn in a run to the World Cup semi-finals in Germany two years ago are hoping they can win their first trophy in 12 years.
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