As if Saturday's farce wasn't enough, Portugal have also won the Xbox Cup in Berlin. Played on EA's so-so official World Cup game for the 360, the tournament saw 32 teams - 64 gamers - compete in what your mum, or television presenters, would call a "virtual" World Cup. The final saw the Portuguese duo beat their Mexican counterparts 2-1 in what the press release described as a "gripping final". There's no mention of how the English team did but we can be sure it was a valiant losing effort - possibly with a tear or two.
Microsoft's Peter Moore, a man with a job title longer than Michael Owen's sick note, was suitably excited and not only because he remembered to say football rather than soccer.
Nearly? Do I detect a hint of regret that PES 5 wasn't used instead?
It was my honour to present these guys with their well deserved prize. The atmosphere today was absolutely phenomenal - truly the beautiful game at its best. It's been a great tournament and the first of its kind on a next generation high definition console. Seeing the matches being played out on the Xbox 360 has been nearly as good as watching a real football match!"
