For Zhang Lie, the past three weeks have been mixed with joy and tiredness.

A soccer fan in Shanghai, Zhang has watched the Euro 2004 games every night.

The Euro 2004 championships in Portugal started on June 12. The final will be a tussle between host Portugal and Greece on July 5.

But due to the time difference, Chinese fans have to wait until late night and the wee hours of the morning, to watch the live broadcast on television.

"If you stay up late for just one or two nights, it is OK. But if you do that often for three weeks, it definitely makes you tired," Zhang said.

While watching the games, Zhang likes to exchange points of view with others.

"It feels good if you share your opinions with some friends," he said.

Zhang said he will still watch the final game between Portugal and Greece.

Watching the games has hurt his social life, Zhang said, keeping him away from his girl friend.

Luckily, she does not complain. "She just understands my feelings."

But Ji Zhi, a soccer fan working in the city of Shunde in South China's Guangdong Province, is not so "lucky."

"One night the sound from the television woke her up. And she just flared up," Ji recalled. "It took me several days to cheer her up and I promised I would turn the volume down to its lowest setting."

Like Zhang and Ji, millions of Chinese fans are enjoying another soccer fest two years after the World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

The number of Chinese watching Euro 2004 will surely exceed that of Euro 2000, Huang Jianxiang, a commentator of China Central Television (CCTV), said. He is one of the CCTV commentators sent to Portugal to broadcast the Euro 2004 action.

It is estimated that each of the games has attracted nearly 40 million Chinese viewers. During Euro 2000, the number was 20 to 30 million.

Chen Mingwei, a Beijing fan, said the Euro 2004 games are "fantastic." "The skill of the players and their tactics are marvelous," he said.

Each fan has his or her favorite team.

"I think England has been the best team during Euro 2004, although the team was beaten by Portugal on penalties during the fight for the semi-finals," said Yao Guangji, a fan in Guangdong's Shenzhen.

"The short passes and the co-operation between different players of England was better than any other team," he said.

Stefan Kopp, a German working in Beijing, said Portugal will be the champion.

"They have better players, like Luis Figo," he said.

Throughout the years, Chinese fans have become used to watching first-class soccer like the World Cup and Euro tournaments late at night.

Many even felt weird when they were able to watch games at normal times of the day during the World Cup in Japan and in South Korea.

(China Daily July 3, 2004)