Wednesday, May 25, 2005

When I was ten, having no real awareness of sport whatsoever I sat down one evening and watched a football match.

It was Liverpool versus Borussia Muncheon Gladbach in the European Cup Final. I was soon hooked to the drama of the match and really pleased that Liverpool (being the English team) won (3-1). This was the first time I realised how dramatic, how 'high and low', how deeply moving sport could be. I have always had a deep interest in many things sporting (not so keen on horseracing and motorsports!) and have continued to support Liverpool through (many years) of thick and (a few years) of thin.

although hardly my home town team (Liverpool is nearly 300 miles from where I was born) I justified devotion because of that night when I watched my first football match.

In the late 70s early 80s Liverpool were kings of Europe and won the European Cup 4 times in the space of 7 years (I think other English clubs won it in between 0 it was England's purple haze of club football), and apart from the final it wasn't televised - many a Wednesday night was spent listening to medium wave radio broadcasts of Liverpool European matches, with the reception drifting in and out making it even more dramatic.

And so fast forward several years to tonight....and Liverpool are back in a European cup final.....tho the format has changed and they qualified for it not as champions but as 4th in the league it is still a huge achievement.

And what a match, I was expecting it to be nerve wracking but at 3-0 down at half time I figured it was all over and we'd lost....But then the match turned into one of the best finals of all time, Liverpool scored early in the second half, then again 2 minutes later and then again 5 minutes later.....From being walked all over now they were doing the walking.....What a comeback.....the match turned out needing extra time and because still no more goals were scored the dreaded penalty shootout.

Now in 1984 when Liverpool last won it there was also a pen shoot out and the Liverpool goalkeeper (Bruce Grobelaar) famously played up and went all wobbly legged when facing the penalties - this had the effect of making the opposition miss two of them....and this time Jerzy Dudek the Liverpool goalie did something very similar and what is usually a tense nerve wracking experience was actually settle after 4 attempts........I am still pinching myself and can't believe they won but am so so so so so so fucking happy!!!

BBC's match report prolly better than mine!!
posted by Listener at 11:36 PM

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Have it Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea :oD
posted by Listener at 10:24 PM