PLAYA DE PALMA: While Spaniards were ecstatic over their World Cup semi-final win, one corner of the country was in despair, as tens of thousands of German tourists in a Majorcan beach resort were left with broken hearts.

Cries of "Nein!" (No!) erupted throughout Playa de Palma, a traditionally German resort in the Balearic island, as Carles Puyol scored in the 73rd minute, the only goal of the match that took Spain to its first ever World Cup final.

After the final whistle, however, glum faces and a few moments of stunned silence were quickly followed by music, including a German version of "Viva Espana!", fireworks and more glasses of beer.

"We lost to Spain in Euro 2008, now we`ve lost to them in the World Cup, twice in important matches is too much," lamented Judith, an 18-year-old German tourist in the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) bar and restaurant.

"Now we have to at least beat Uruguay for third place," she said, a garland in Germany`s red, yellow and black colours round her neck.

"If we`d had (suspended player Thomas) Mueller, we wouldn`t have lost," said her boyfriend Pierre, also 18, wrapped in a German flag.

Matthias, a 44-year-old male nurse from Frankfurt, thought "Spain was much better.

"In the first 30 minutes Germany didn`t know where the ball was. It was almost as if Spain was playing with 12 men. But we`ll be back in 2014 in Brazil."

Majorca is nicknamed `Germany`s 17th Land` because of the millions of tourists from that country who visit every year,

And Playa de Palma, a strip several miles (kilometres) long packed with high-rise hotels, souvenir shops and German bars and restaurants, is where many of them go for cheap `sun and beach` holidays.

In sweltering heat, Germans crammed into overflowing bars to watch the match.

Playa de Palma`s so-called Bierstrasse (Beer Street) was bedecked with German flags, and tourists wore shirts, hats, garlands and face paint in the national colours.

But the Spanish red and gold colours were also fluttering here and there.

After the match, the Bierstrasse turned Spanish `rojo` as Spaniards poured through in their cars, honking horns and waving flags -- to applause from the German supporters over their team`s performance.

Germans had begun gathering in bars from around midday to watch the match.

A screen measuring 14 by four metres was set up opposite the beach outside the Mega Park, a massive beer hall which managers said can accommodate more than 7,000 people and which was packed with young Germans, dancing and singing and downing vast amounts of beer.

Majorcan police had stepped up security in case of incidents.

In the Plaza Mayor, the main square at the end of the strip, Spaniards packed into the more traditionally Spanish bars.

"The police won`t let us into the Mega Park as they don`t want any trouble," said Sebastian, a 42-year-old unemployed Spaniard, in the Victoria bar.

"But we`re glad to have the Germans here as it`s our source of income."

Some 27,000 permanent German residents on the Mediterreanean island, in a population of around 862,000, are joined every year by nearly four million German tourists -- the largest number of visitors from any single country.

Some 450,000 Germans arrived last May alone, according to the local tourist authority.

BDST: 1310 hrs, July 8, 2010

AHB/
Hearts broken in one corner of Spain

PLAYA DE PALMA: While Spaniards were ecstatic over their World Cup semi-final win, one corner of the country was in despair, as tens of thousands of German tourists in a Majorcan beach resort were left with broken hearts.

Cries of "Nein!" (No!) erupted throughout Playa de Palma, a traditionally German resort in the Balearic island, as Carles Puyol scored in the 73rd minute, the only goal of the match that took Spain to its first ever World Cup final.

After the final whistle, however, glum faces and a few moments of stunned silence were quickly followed by music, including a German version of "Viva Espana!", fireworks and more glasses of beer.

"We lost to Spain in Euro 2008, now we`ve lost to them in the World Cup, twice in important matches is too much," lamented Judith, an 18-year-old German tourist in the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) bar and restaurant.

"Now we have to at least beat Uruguay for third place," she said, a garland in Germany`s red, yellow and black colours round her neck.

"If we`d had (suspended player Thomas) Mueller, we wouldn`t have lost," said her boyfriend Pierre, also 18, wrapped in a German flag.

Matthias, a 44-year-old male nurse from Frankfurt, thought "Spain was much better.

"In the first 30 minutes Germany didn`t know where the ball was. It was almost as if Spain was playing with 12 men. But we`ll be back in 2014 in Brazil."

Majorca is nicknamed `Germany`s 17th Land` because of the millions of tourists from that country who visit every year,

And Playa de Palma, a strip several miles (kilometres) long packed with high-rise hotels, souvenir shops and German bars and restaurants, is where many of them go for cheap `sun and beach` holidays.

In sweltering heat, Germans crammed into overflowing bars to watch the match.

Playa de Palma`s so-called Bierstrasse (Beer Street) was bedecked with German flags, and tourists wore shirts, hats, garlands and face paint in the national colours.

But the Spanish red and gold colours were also fluttering here and there.

After the match, the Bierstrasse turned Spanish `rojo` as Spaniards poured through in their cars, honking horns and waving flags -- to applause from the German supporters over their team`s performance.

Germans had begun gathering in bars from around midday to watch the match.

A screen measuring 14 by four metres was set up opposite the beach outside the Mega Park, a massive beer hall which managers said can accommodate more than 7,000 people and which was packed with young Germans, dancing and singing and downing vast amounts of beer.

Majorcan police had stepped up security in case of incidents.

In the Plaza Mayor, the main square at the end of the strip, Spaniards packed into the more traditionally Spanish bars.

"The police won`t let us into the Mega Park as they don`t want any trouble," said Sebastian, a 42-year-old unemployed Spaniard, in the Victoria bar.

"But we`re glad to have the Germans here as it`s our source of income."

Some 27,000 permanent German residents on the Mediterreanean island, in a population of around 862,000, are joined every year by nearly four million German tourists -- the largest number of visitors from any single country.

Some 450,000 Germans arrived last May alone, according to the local tourist authority.

BDST: 1310 hrs, July 8, 2010