PHOTO MARIKA VACHON, THE PRESS
Alexandre Herculano (centre left) has been a co-owner of Bar St-Laurent Frappé for 18 years. “During Portugal games, it’s always like that,” he explains. He himself is originally from Portugal, as are the other owners. The bar opened its doors 30 years ago and has been a favorite spot for the community ever since. “We recognize faces, but there are new people too,” he continues. He is accompanied, from left to right, by Camille Nerrdy, Mimmo Carvalho and Bozena Dzedina, who are part of the bar’s team.
PHOTO MARIKA VACHON, THE PRESS
Right next to the St-Laurent Frappé, Mélanie Gouveia, Oksanna Demenezes, Bianca Demenezes and Carolina Pontes listen to the game from the sidewalk in front of the Cookies café, due to lack of space inside. They came to “support [leur] team and celebrate with all the beautiful Portuguese on Saint-Laurent Boulevard,” says Mélanie Gouveia. The café’s owner, Steve Coussa, who is not Portuguese, smelled a bargain when he started his business last month. “We thought we’d have the game too so that families could come home,” since access to local bars is closed to them.
PHOTO MARIKA VACHON, THE PRESS
The Portuguese diaspora has been present in Montreal since the early 1950s. It first settled in an area of the Plateau Mont-Royal near Saint-Laurent Boulevard. According to the Portuguese Consulate in Montreal, these first Portuguese and their descendants number more than 60,000 people in the metropolitan area.
PHOTO MARIKA VACHON, THE PRESS
Caroline Campos Ferreira, of French-Portuguese origin, was not very torn during the match. “My heart always goes to Portugal,” she explains. “France, it made me dream in 1998.” [quand elle a remporté la Coupe du monde]but now it’s Portugal.” His brother David Campos Ferreira agrees. “It’s the only sport in which Portugal is competitive.”
PHOTO MARIKA VACHON, THE PRESS
A few hundred meters away, on rue Saint-Denis, French supporters stormed the L’Barouf bar to celebrate their victory. Grégoire Mottier (right), with Timothé Soudet (left), describes an atmosphere that is “incredible, we feel like we are back in our country a little bit.” […] It’s nice to be back with compatriots.” The French team must face the Spanish team in the semi-final on Tuesday, July 9. “It’s going to be very complicated,” predicts Mr. Mottier, realistically.
PHOTO MARIKA VACHON, THE PRESS
The European Football Championship continues until July 14, the national holiday in France. Coincidence?