Berlin, 1st July 2006 - today, Portugal were crowned the Xbox
Cup Champions having won the tournament on EA's 2006 FIFA World
Cup on the Xbox® 360 console. In a rousing ceremony, the
team lifted the Xbox Cup trophy to rounds of applause from the
8500 seater adidas stadium, at the centre of the Platz der
Republik, Berlin, where today's action took place. Peter Moore,
Corporate Vice President, Microsoft was there to present the
trophy and be the first to offer his congratulations to the
triumphant team. The team beat Mexico 2 - 1 in the gripping
final to secure their places in football gaming history. In the
first semi-final, host nation Germany went up against Mexico,
they were dominant throughout the first half of the game and
translated that into a goal early into the second half.
However, the Mexicans fought back aggressively and won through
in extra time with a final score of 2 - 1. The second
semi-final saw neighbours Portugal and Spain going head-to-head
with the Portuguese 2 - 0 up by halftime. Though the Spaniards
came back valiantly in the second half, the final score read 3
- 2 to Portugal. When it came to the Grand Final, gaming
foreshadowed reality, with the Portuguese emerging victorious
just hours before their World Cup counterparts did the same in
their quarter final match. The Portuguese team is made up of
Miguel Angelo Dinis, 28, and Antonio Luis Ferreira Gomes, 21.
Joao Miguel Gouveia da Cruz Dias, 24, accompanied them as their
ultimate fan. Miguel said "We are overjoyed! Today's matches
were incredible - the tension felt like a real World Cup final.
I can't believe that a few weeks ago my team were total
strangers and now we'll return together as national heroes! We
plan to keep in touch via Xbox Live when we get home." Peter
Moore, Corporate Vice President, Interactive Entertainment
Business, Entertainment and Devices Division, said, "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!"
*ends* About Xbox and Xbox 360 Microsoft revolutionized the
gaming industry with the November 2001 launch of Xbox (
http://www.xbox.com), its first-generation video games and
entertainment system, now sold in 26 countries around the
world. This Christmas season Microsoft debuts its
next-generation system, Xbox 360, in Europe, Japan and North
America, to be followed by availability in Australia, Colombia,
Hong Kong, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan in
2006. Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and
entertainment system, delivering the best games, the next
generation of the premier Xbox Live online gaming service, and
unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around
you. About Xbox Live Xbox Live continues to transform and unite
Xbox game communities worldwide, with a presence in 24
countries worldwide and a global community of more than 2
million members. As the first and only global, unified online
console games service, Xbox Live offers world-class games,
intelligent matchmaking, tournaments, unique programming and
integration with Xbox.com. For more information, go to
www.xbox.com/live. About Microsoft Founded in 1975, Microsoft
(Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services
and solutions that help people and businesses realize their
full potential. ######### For more information, please contact:
Marie-Claire Suter UK PR Manager - Xbox & Games For Windows
Tel: +44 (0) 118 909 4599 Email: i-maries@microsoft.com Note to
editors: If you are interested in viewing additional
information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page
at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate
information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were
correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For
additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact
Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts
listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp.
