And the Germans cried in celebration

Hoffman’s colleague Judith Evers, among the 27 present at his place, remembers the atmosphere in his living room as being “nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time.”

Mario Gotze’s goal transmuted apprehension into rapture, she recounts. Germany had won. “We all had to be at work next morning and that kept playing on our minds. Most of us couldn’t watch the team lift the cup as we were busy arranging cabs,” says Evers.

“We were all very tired on Monday and nearly dozing off at work,” says Hoffman, adding, “On Tuesday, we shall first get together at a micro brewery to celebrate the victory and follow it with a repeat telecast of the match.”

Across the city in Aundh, city-based German writer Rainer Hoerig spent a languid evening in his bungalow. “My wife is in Germany, so I had to watch the match alone,” he says. But, there was no way he wasn’t going to celebrate. “I cooked a typical German meal to go with the match. I ate bratwurst (fried sausages) with mashed potatoes and wine I bought earlier in the evening,” Hoerig shares, adding, “I was tired and sleepy but when Germany finally scored and I saw all the fans at the stadium crying, I couldn’t help and began weeping from joy myself.”

In Koregaon Park, 25-year-old Teresa Eichenhaub, who’s a PhD student collaborating with Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, had jerseys brought from Germany especially for the final, which she watched with Italian friends who’ve lived in Germany. Upon winning, what she missed most was home. “Everybody in Germany took to the streets after the victory…My phone wouldn’t stop ringing. An Indian friend doing his PhD in Germany called to tell me what he was experiencing on streets there was something he has never beheld before,” says Eichenhaub.

She says, “I think everybody here was supporting Brazil first and then Argentina when the former got knocked out in the semi-finals. I was expecting little excitement for Germany’s victory.”