time waits for no man memories fade... limbs go weary... still i run the race the race to be with you... my Savior and my Lord
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Thursday, May 26, 2005
11:32 AM
what a night at Istanbul... in front of the sea of red, drama and tragedy alike was played out on the grass patch by 22 men chasing after a ball. the final conclusion, after 2 extended periods and the lottery of a penalty shootout, the men in the red of Liverpool colors triumphed against a star-studded AC Milan team. Wow...what a ride! watched the match at vincent's house...played our favourite "shooto" b4 the match...was all set for a tense, dour match...how wrong i was... honestly speaking, i had tried not to have any expectations for liverpool cos i didn't want to get disappointed once again. Just getting into the finals was quite a fine achievement already, considering their injury woes, squad size and the general quality of the squad. Against a Milan team with star players in virtually every position, i was hard-pressed to believe that the Reds would do the job, especially given their form in the EPL. I'd figured that, given Liverpool's strategy of only employing one striker, the only way they wld have a chance in this game was to defend all the way and hope for a lucky goal... So you can imagine how i felt when Maldini opened the scoring seconds into the game...gosh... they really had their work cut out then.. by the end of the 1st half, i was already prepared to go home. vincent had even predicted that the final score may be 5-0, given his analysis of the soccer odds. he's pretty accurate btw, has a whole theory abt how every game in the EPL is fixed and predictable..but this was, as he admitted later, a "clean" game. It was really fortunate the vincent persuaded me to stay for the second half..if i'd watched it at home, i'd probably have gone to bed cos i had work today.. man...i wld have kicked myself if i really did that... Liverpool looked like a totally different side during the 2nd half...dare i say it was the best i've ever seen them play this season? Gerard was getting stuck in, winning the tackles, leading by example...Carragher and Hyypia were rock-solid in the heart of the Pool defence..Alonso was playing the intelligent game..spraying passes, creating space, luis garcia was showing off his reportoire of tricks, keeping Stam and Nesta on their toes, even Traore abandoned his jester role and started playing football, clearing the ball off the line and containing Shevchenko.. in the space of 6 minutes, these courageous men created Champions League history by cancelling a 3 goal deficit against the 2003 winners.. Gerard opened the scoring with a majestic towering header into the top corner...a world-class strike leaving the unfortunate Dida with no chance at all..Pool were back in with a shout...the captain leading the way, galvanising his comrades to get up and at 'em.. Next, smicer, playing in his last match for the Reds, put all his injury and form frustrations behind him to lash home a daisy-cutter from the edge of the box through a sea of legs, sneaking in at the far post past the unsighted keeper....game on. The liverpool onslaught ensued with an intricate build-up involving Garcia, Baros and Gerard, leading to Gattuso bundling Stevie-G over. Penalty. Up stepped the spanish maestro, Xabi Alonso to take the penalty. The defining moment the will echo in history..... The ball went to the far right corner of the goal but Dida does superbly to block it. Yet, it was Liverpool's night..the ball falls to Alonso and he blasts the ball into the net. 3-3. The crowd goes wild, the Liverpool anthem You'll Never Walk Alone fills the turkish midnight air...Liverpool have done it! But there's still plenty of time left. the game was still on. By this time, Milan had regained their sense of urgency and were pressing the Red's defence repeatedly...Cisse's on but he cuts a lonely figure up front as Pool dig in.. Heroics from the defenders and Dudek, giving meaning to "the ball hits the Pole" (he's from poland, if you don't get it) manage to keep the score level. Extra-time. Having to chase from behind had taken much out of Pool...players were cramping..Carragher in particular soldiered on despite very visible exhaustion as well as cramps... The ball continues to hit the Pole, and in a moment that could have been seen as a sign as to the outcome of the game, Shevchenko, European Player of the Year, world-class striker, Milan's main man, contrived to smash the ball against Dudek from less than a metre out. The ball could have gone anywhere, Pool's journey could have ended there and no one wld've blamed them...but they had a destiny to fulfill and it was not to end there. The ball ricocheted off the keeper, over the bar for a corner. The players, crowd and audience all over the world heaved a huge sigh of relief. Given the circumstances, it was clear that Pool were playing for a shoot-out...they were already running on empty..They managed to hold on and after a bruising physical encounter, the Cup was to be decided on a contest of mental stength and luck. Penalty kicks. The outcome of the contest was eventually decided by a familiar scene during normal time in the game...Dudek denying Shevchenko once again...... The crowd went wild, red was to be the colour of the night. The italians, cannot believe it. 3 goals to the good at the break, dominance of possession throughout the whole game and yet, there they were...the "losers" of the night... To Milan's credit, they'd deserved to win based on their ability and potential...but as it's been shown in recent times...it is not neccessarily the best teams that win nowadays...it's the team with the greatest spirit and courage. Just ask Greece and Porto. That, imho, is the beauty of the game....For Liverpool fans, how much more sweeter can this result be? Subject to continual frustrations through the years, tagged with the underachiever's bane, inconsistent to the point that being inconsistent is the only thing that Liverpool was consistent in; glorious one moment, hearbreaking the next....and yet, here we are, able to proclaim Liverpool as being one of the few clubs to have won nearly everything there is to win within the past 5 years, save for the Premiership. This day belongs to Liverpool fans around the world...not a day to spite ur Man-U friends/rivals but a day to celebrate....to celebrate the faith and the emotions you have vested in supporting the Pride of Merseyside....and no matter whether it be the Spanish Armada of Alonso, Garcia, Morientes and Benitez or the Scouser Boys, Gerard and Carragher...we can expect much great things to come. To the beautiful game, and to worthy Champs of Europe, Hail Liverpool!
who am i?
People call me:Simon
i was born: Sept 1981
so i am: 24yrs old
mental torture @: SMU
spam me/msn @: simontkf@hotmail.com
liKes
God
True friends
freedom
tranquility
Soccer!
aspirations
heaven
tentmaker
2 kids - elder son and younger daughter
early retirement
happiness
ArChiVes
[+] March 2005
[+] April 2005
[+] May 2005
[+] June 2005
[+] July 2005
[+] August 2005
[+] September 2005
[+] October 2005
[+] December 2005
[+] January 2006
