Being in UK, I watched all the game in the pub the previous year. My first game was a blinder in which Steven Gerrard scored a screamer in the last minute that enabled Liverpool to qualify for the knock out phase. From there on, I watched every game Liverpool played, in the pub, and was quite thrilled to watch this particular game with all the fellow crazy Liverpool fans.
Everyone thought that Liverpool would run through West Ham quite easily. As usual, I ordered my Fosters’ and sat in the front of the giant screen. One had to enter the pub thirty minutes before the kick off to ensure a good seat. It worked fine for me as thirty minutes in the pub gets translated into two more pints of Fosters’.
The mood in the pub was electric as everyone with a pint of lager in their hands was cheering loudly. A few minutes after the kickoff, a goal came from the unlikeliest of sources; and under unlikeliest of the circumstances. Even though Liverpool center half Jamie Carragher scored a goal, the entire crowd in the stadium and in the pub were cursing him.
He scored in his own net, beating the keeper Reina quite skillfully!
“What a sucker!” on fan claimed after waiving his hand furiously.
Within the next ten minutes, Dean Ashton made a tremendous run down the left flank and unleashed a shot towards Reina. The shot, as harmless as anything could be, slipped past Reina’s hand, and went between his legs into the net. A very embarrassing moment for Reina on a cup final. The pub greeted the goal with stunning silence for a moment. No one could believe what they just witnessed. What everyone thought to be a piece-of-cake-final was turning out to be an absolute embarrassment.
“Should I leave or should I stay?” I was talking to myself. Angry fans were the most difficult to handle. They hug you when the team did well and when the team was not doing well, it could be danger.
But, Liverpool being Liverpool, everyone knew that they were capable of launching any kind of a comeback. I decided to stay on till the half time as everyone believed that the ghosts of champions league finals in Istanbul would come and haunt the hammers anytime. That ‘anytime’ occurred four minutes after the hammers’ second goal. Gerrard being Gerrard, a wonderful player of this era, made a pin point forty yard pass from the right flank to Cisse who was just on the edge of the penalty box. Cisse was brilliant enough to thread the ball before it even pitched, straight into the net. A truly magnificent goal. Wonderful presence of mind from Gerrard and a wonderful piece of execution from Cisse.
The crowd erupted. Everyone saw light at the end of the tunnel. The pub owner’s eyes lit up too as happy fans buy more lager!
As many more pints of lagers were drained into the tummies built with almost unlimited capacity, I decided to take the seat closest to the main exit of the pub. Just to play safe!
Liverpool went into the tunnel during the half time with a lot of hope. The fans were just riding on the hope as well. Every minute spent in the pub, every penny spent on the lager would give returns in the form of satisfaction-through-accomplishment only if Liverpool managed to pull out an out-of-the world performance in the second half.
“It could be another Istanbul” claimed one fan while draining this fourth lager in an hour. The fans were always as loyal and hopeful as this one. But, I was not sure whether they could pull this one off as the players were really struggling to play in the heat.
Ten minutes into the second half, as I was about to leave the pub, Steven Gerrard, the god of all saviors, scored a goal from the short range. It was a magnificent goal and suddenly, from nowhere, Liverpool was back in the game. I could barely hear what the commentators were saying as the crowd in the pub went crazy with joy – fueled by Gerrard and Fosters’.
“Another Istanbul. This should be a one way affair from now on” I thought. But, what do I know? Ten minutes later, Paul Konchesky tried to cross the ball from the left flank in a hope to find some hammer heads. Instead, he found the Liverpool net. What a day for hammers. They scored three against Liverpool, out of which one was own goal, the second was a crazy goalkeeper error and the third one was mere luck.
“Damn!” screamed one fan unable to witness what he was seeing
“These guys are fuckin’ lucky” screamed another.
"What is the point in screaming? Goals are goals. They were scored" I thought
“This should be another Istanbul” claimed the guy next to me as he drained his fifth pint.
“This guy must be crazy” I thought. Being a Liverpool fan myself, I knew they could come back, but I wasn’t sure whether the five pints he drained was taking there. If five pints were talking, then it was danger as five pints could kick my ass if Liverpool lost; as five pints never have sixth sense.
I ordered my third pint just to feel secured against the five pint guys. When I ordered my third pint, the five-pint guy ordered two more. Now I knew that I was totally out of the game. The only way out was to ensure swift escape route if in case!
At the end of ninety minutes, it was still 3-2 on West Ham’s favor. The players were almost dead of cramps due to sweltering heat. Gerrard started limping. It was a very bad sign. I stared to move near the door as I heard the stadium announcer announcing four added minutes.
The next thing I knew was Andy Gray shouting “GERRRRARRRRRDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!”
From 35 yards, Gerrard hit the ball which travelled like a tracer bullet giving no chance to the hammers’ goal keeper as the ball pierced into the bottom left corner of the net.
The roof of the pub was in serious danger of being blown away. The energy held within by all fans dissipated in perfect resonance. I could sense the vibrations from the floor but I was not sure whether the vibrations were caused by happy fans or by the three pints of lager. After ninety minutes of frustration, there was one moment to savor. The game was not won yet though, but Liverpool was level in the most emphatic fashion. Two great goals from Gerrard ensured extra time and then penalties.
During penalties, I was as close as possible to the exit as the game could swing either way. Gerrard scored his penalty kick and Reina was as brilliant as ever in saving penalties. Liverpool won the FA cup. In the process, they had developed a way to win titles. Half of the heart patients would have died across the globe before the end of this game. An absolute cliffhanger till the very last minute!
While I was heading back home, I was thinking about the captain of Liverpool football club. Whenever the team needed someone to stand up and be counted to pull an absolute rabbit out of the hat, he was always there!
What a player!
Click here to see the Gerrard screamer!
3 comments:
You should've detailed the penalty shootout and the crowd reaction...
Your ending was too abrupt...!!!
Again,
A Liverpool game nicely narrated....wonderful story on every aspect...I loved it......Gerrard is the saviour and he pulls the absolute rabbit out of the hat
Nicely done.....add up more on the ending...with the penalty shoot-out...it will give the icing on the cake
Nice article da.
I cannot comment much on the game itself, as I do not follow it. But I can sense how it would've gone from your descriptions :)
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