Euro 2004: Even in defeat, Portugal fans find reason to celebrate Monday, July 05, 2004 BY STEVE POLITI Star-Ledger Staff LISBON, Portugal -- John Passos had two choices. He could go home and suffer alone, or he could head out into downtown Lisbon and suffer with everyone else. He chose the latter. The Lisbon caterer grabbed his Portuguese flag and took the Metro to the Marques de Pombal monument, and when he arrived, he discovered several thousand other fans had the same idea. "This just shows you, it is just a game. The world does not end because of it," Passos said. "We're happy for what we have achieved -- and this is much better than being at home." It was not what the country expected, of course, and it was nothing like the revelry that occurred after Portugal defeated England and Holland to reach the Euro 2004 finals. But after the shocking 1-0 loss to underdog Greece last night, the Portuguese still mustered some of the national spirit they had showed in the days leading up to their first appearance in a major tournament championship game. They had more to be proud of than just success on the field, and they knew it. There was universal agreement that this country of 10 million people, among the poorest in the European Union, had run this tournament nearly flawlessly. "We're here because we're proud of our country," said Monica Mendes, a radio deejay in Lisbon. "We weren't the winners, but we have reason to celebrate." Not as many reasons as the Greeks, of course. They arrived in Portugal as an afterthought, a 100-1 longshot to win the title. They had played in just two international tournaments and failed to win a game both times. But they shocked France, then the Czech Republic, and, finally, Portugal, in a string of 1-0 shutouts. Before he came to the stadium, Athens dentist Nick Raptis made a T-shirt with a Greek flag and the words "whoops... we did it again." He wore it during the celebration. "They kept on thinking we would lose," Raptis said as he stood outside the stadium. "They never thought we would get this far. But we have proven everyone wrong!" The Greeks rallied in Rossio square at the heart of Lisbon before the game, wearing togas and gladiator helmets and carrying Styrofoam columns through the narrow streets. For a team that could not sell all of its tickets for the quarterfinals, it was a big crowd. But it was nothing like the display from the Portuguese, who lined the streets from the Vasco de Gama bridge to the stadium that the Portugal team bus took to the game. The human chain stretched nearly six miles, and police had to push the fans back so the bus could get through. Hundreds of motorcycles followed the bus, and speed boats tracked its path in the waters below as it crossed the long bridge. The local television stations carried the entire hour-long trip live, never once breaking away. "It's been tremendous," said Joseph Pontoriero, who owns a pizzeria in the Ironbound. He and his fiancie, Maria Materio, were riding the Metro back from the game. "When you came here five years ago, you'd never see a Portuguese flag. This country needed something like this." Which is why, instead of shedding tears, many fans chose to celebrate, climbing the monuments and honking horns and waving flags as if the team had claimed the title. But it wasn't quite the same. "We'll stay for a while, but not long," Passos, the caterer, said. "This is not like after we won. We have to go to work tomorrow. Things can get back to normal now."