It was the big night for football, and big is exactly what it was at one address in town. INOX, at City Centre, had geared up for the last game of Euro 2004 on Sunday night. And for the football fans who turned up, it was HUGE.

Greece in the European championship finals might have been a downer for soccer connoisseurs, but the presence of Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo was enough to guarantee a big turnout at the only cinema hall screening of the match in the country.

The ground floor of the Salt Lake multiplex was decked up in drawings by kids, the product of a competition held earlier in the week. The staircase was flooded with flags of the participating countries.

The goalpost, next to the entrance, was filled with Euro 2004-style silver footballs, being handed out to eager kids who were out well past their bedtime — all for a sporting cause.

Others had their faces and hands tattooed with the words ‘Figo’, ‘Portugal’ and ‘Greece’ and the colours of their favourite teams.

The INOX staff was dressed in the jerseys of the two teams, while ESPN officials sported Portugal T-shirts and carried the precious cargo of red T-shirts in plastic bags, donating them to fans.

When the doors opened at 11.30 pm, the fun began in earnest. On the Refuel counter was spread a feast, albeit light, with sandwiches, bite-size pizzas, cocktail samosas, nips and chips, spring rolls and multi-flavoured popcorn, along with soft drinks and — yes, bottles of Kingfisher beer — all on the house till midnight.

The carnival had begun. Everyone stood around in groups, sipping, munching and chatting.

Two halls — auditoriums 1 and 2 — were designated for the viewing, with a total capacity of 555. Over 450 football fanatics turned up to catch a piece of the action, with 200 tickets finally sold at Rs 150 each (the initial decision was to keep it for invitees only, with 50 tickets up for sale). The last ticket sold out at 11 pm, says INOX.

Two LCD projectors were in place with two more for backup, and the satellite dish was in perfect working order. The two 40-ft screens were the centre of all attention.

At 11.45 pm, the ground floor was full to bursting, with kids, parents and grandparents dressed in shorts, pyjamas or party gear.

The beer was flowing, the food was fast disappearing, the ambience was jovial and the talk was only of football, with one question hovering on everyone’s lips: “who are you supporting?”

The tattoo artist’s corner had long queues, while he worked at a furious pace to satisfy all his customers. The kids were given first preference, but some adults jostled for a chance. Top of the line were flags on the cheeks, with red and green a little more visible than blue and white.

Bridget, a student from the UK who was on holiday in Calcutta, had come with her friends to watch the show. While she was all for Greece, her friends were in favour of the Portuguese team.

And for 76-year-old Deepa Pal Chowdhury and her son Partha, Portugal was the only team worth rooting for. But the two left the multiplex disheartened at the end of the night, both shaking their heads at the poor play, with “very sad” repeatedly rolling off their tired-of-cheering lips.

12.15 am, it was time for the national anthem. Everyone settled into their seats. Figo’s face came up larger than life on the giant screen, to be greeted by the only-to-be-expected round of appreciative applause — the same to a little lesser degree for teen sensation (“he’s so cute”) Ronaldo.

Kick-off drew complete silence in auditorium 2, which was full house and where all the ticket-holders were seated.

As the game progressed, there was a general air of anticipation every time the Portuguese strikers got near the goal, with loud “oohs” and “aahs” for every miss — and boy, weren’t there many!

Then, frustration set in, with angry comments flying around and hands in the air for every rough tackle and star tumble.

At half-time, there was a dejected air in the auditorium, as the game showed no signs of going anywhere. One young girl — a Portugal supporter — piped up: “There’s no Sprite. Why can’t I have what I want?”

This was not the kind of match that they had wanted, but most were not ready to leave yet, and the seats all filled up even after the break.

Then, the goooooooooaaaaal, in the 57th minute, greeted with loud cheers — even from the non-Greek supporters.

Moral of the football fable: all you need is a goal to get soccer fans going, no matter if they’re red or blue. The excited hum in the auditorium was a muted reflection of the roar in the Estadio Da Luz in Lisbon.

We had a game on our hands. Rui Costa made his entrance, to much cheering by the Portugal fans, and the hosts began to attack in waves. Deco to Figo to Ronaldo to Rui Costa… to heartbreak.

It was not to be. The night belonged to the Greeks.

Final whistle: As the curtains came down on Euro 2004 and Ronaldo wept in the hall like a boy denied his wooden horse, the heroes of Troy stood tall and proud outside.