once again, it has been another few hours of sleep sacrificed for a night of exhilarating football by both Chelsea and Bayern Munich. both played well, especially Bayern, who in my honest opinion dominated the entire match. but they just couldn't find their shots on target to materialize into goals. in the first half alone Bayern kept making shot after shot at the goal of Petr Cech, yet couldn't break the 0-0 deadlock. it was only late in the second half that the game came to life. Bayern's Toni Kroos curled in a cross from the left and Cole seemed unaware of
Muller's presence behind him at the back post as the Germany
international's header bounced down and over Cech before going in off
the underside of the crossbar. it was 1-0, and ADVANTAGE: Bayern Munich. i was upset, but i knew somehow Chelsea would take the game to Bayern, and boy oh boy did they put up a resistant fight! Bayern brought on Daniel van Buyten in a bid to shut the game down, but
were punished with two minutes left when Chelsea's Didier Drogba powerfully headed home
at the near post from Chelsea's first corner of the game. it was now 1-1, and GAME ON! but after that goal neither team managed to score a late winner, so it went to extra time. and just when i was hoping for Chelsea to score a winner Drogba seemed to go from hero to villain three minutes into
extra-time when he tripped Franck Ribery in the box, but Cech spared the
striker the blushes as he kept out former team-mate Arjen Robben's poor penalty. so, it ended 1-1, and the decider would have to be by a penalty shootout, reminiscent of the 2008 final, where Chelsea lost to Manchester United in Moscow. at the Bayern end of the stadium, Cech faced the first one from Lahm and got a hand to it but couldn't keep it out. Mata then shot too centrally and had his saved by Neuer. Gomez found
the bottom corner to make it 2-0 to Bayern but David Luiz scored his
powerfully and it was 2-1. to the shock of everyone (at least at the cafe i was at) the Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer took the next one, and beat Cech low to the left so
it was 3-1 to the Germans. Lampard roofed his to bring the score back
to 3-2 before Olic had his saved by the outstretched arm of Cech and
Cole drew the scores level at 3-3 with a crisp strike. now, it was all to do for Bastian Schweinsteiger to keep his team's hopes alive, and the pressure told as he hit the post,
with Cech possibly getting a finger to it. So it was there for Drogba to win
it and this time there was no slipping on the turf by the final taker as
he rolled it into the corner.
celebrations were not so wild as i had imagined it to be after the last penalty by Drogba was converted, but nevertheless i'm sure the Chelsea players, backroom staff, and whole team would ensure the celebratory mood will go deep into the night. such a massive night out for me till late in the morning, but it was all worth it. been out till the wee hours of the morning for two days in a row already....so good morning peeps!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the foul clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the foul clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
by - William Ernest Henley
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
City City City!
Manchester City 3-2 QPR (City are the 2011/12 Premier League CHAMPIONS)
YAY! Manchester City finally won the Premier League title after being at the top for most period of the season 11/12! the finale was SUCH a nailbiter! City took on QPR, who were battling relegation versus Bolton, while Man United took on Sunderland, who were already secure and had nothing to play for. obviously i watched the MC game, which was so dramatic it could've been written by a Hollywood scriptwriter! to cut things short, City struck first blood going into the break, but so was United. as it stood at half-time, if both teams held on to their respective scorelines it would've meant City pipped United to the title. but in the second half, City were certainly not prepared for what Mark Hughes' side would dish out for them: goals by Djibril Cisse and Jamie Mackie gave QPR a 2-1 lead over City! United (who would end up winning 1-0) fans simply could not believe that the old adage "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" was about to haunt City again! at the same time QPR's Joey Barton (former City player) got himself needlessly sent off as he hit Carlos Tevez in the face and kicked out at Sergio Aguero. with only 10 men, QPR were still harnessing City seemingly without breaking any sweat. as events unfolded live on ESPN HD, i watched in horror as City had so much possession yet couldn't break down a resistant Rangers side. the match seemed to remind me of the Barcelona vs Chelsea Champions League match where Chelsea were only playing with 10 men, yet resolutely defending for their lives against a Barcelona side teeming with the best players and with huge amounts of possession, who also kept attacking like crazy, but could not get the goals. City were doing exactly the same thing, and as QPR kept their remaining 10 men in their own half to do the defending City's goalkeeper Joe Hart had nothing to do and was a spectator for the last half hour of so. he was so isolated that when there were throw-ins for City in their own half he came out to take the throws! with time ticking away furiously, QPR finally crumbled. in the 92nd minute of what seemed like City's 20th-odd corner David Silva delivered a perfect cross to meet the head of Edin Dzeko who proceeded to nod the ball home to make it 2-2. for the City faithful who had been in silence for the longest time, they now were one vociferous force, urging their team on to try to get the third goal to win the match and secure their first title since 1968. and boy oh boy, did Sergio Aguero rise to the occasion. in the 94th minute, after good work by Mario Balotelli in the middle of the penalty box he fell but managed to pass the ball to Aguero, who delightfully smashed home the winner. Aguero didn't care about the yellow card that was to come his way after he took of his jersey as he celebrated wildly with his teammates. i too, celebrated wildly! any team by United IS the motto for me. the Etihad crowd simply could not believe all that was happening! i bet the United fans also couldn't imagine their "noisy neighbours" could pull off such a dramatic ending to one of the best Premier League seasons in years. City 3-2 QPR: JOB DONE. QPR may have lost the match, but they will live to fight another season in the top flight as Bolton drew 2-2, which allowed QPR to stay up and resulting in relegation for The Trotters.
for me, the best moments of the match was Aguero's winner and the scene of captain Vincent Kompany lifting the Premier League trophy. United may not have gotten their 20th title this year, but sooner or later they will surely get it. i can't wait for season 12/13 to roll around. i hope it's as exciting as this one!
YAY! Manchester City finally won the Premier League title after being at the top for most period of the season 11/12! the finale was SUCH a nailbiter! City took on QPR, who were battling relegation versus Bolton, while Man United took on Sunderland, who were already secure and had nothing to play for. obviously i watched the MC game, which was so dramatic it could've been written by a Hollywood scriptwriter! to cut things short, City struck first blood going into the break, but so was United. as it stood at half-time, if both teams held on to their respective scorelines it would've meant City pipped United to the title. but in the second half, City were certainly not prepared for what Mark Hughes' side would dish out for them: goals by Djibril Cisse and Jamie Mackie gave QPR a 2-1 lead over City! United (who would end up winning 1-0) fans simply could not believe that the old adage "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" was about to haunt City again! at the same time QPR's Joey Barton (former City player) got himself needlessly sent off as he hit Carlos Tevez in the face and kicked out at Sergio Aguero. with only 10 men, QPR were still harnessing City seemingly without breaking any sweat. as events unfolded live on ESPN HD, i watched in horror as City had so much possession yet couldn't break down a resistant Rangers side. the match seemed to remind me of the Barcelona vs Chelsea Champions League match where Chelsea were only playing with 10 men, yet resolutely defending for their lives against a Barcelona side teeming with the best players and with huge amounts of possession, who also kept attacking like crazy, but could not get the goals. City were doing exactly the same thing, and as QPR kept their remaining 10 men in their own half to do the defending City's goalkeeper Joe Hart had nothing to do and was a spectator for the last half hour of so. he was so isolated that when there were throw-ins for City in their own half he came out to take the throws! with time ticking away furiously, QPR finally crumbled. in the 92nd minute of what seemed like City's 20th-odd corner David Silva delivered a perfect cross to meet the head of Edin Dzeko who proceeded to nod the ball home to make it 2-2. for the City faithful who had been in silence for the longest time, they now were one vociferous force, urging their team on to try to get the third goal to win the match and secure their first title since 1968. and boy oh boy, did Sergio Aguero rise to the occasion. in the 94th minute, after good work by Mario Balotelli in the middle of the penalty box he fell but managed to pass the ball to Aguero, who delightfully smashed home the winner. Aguero didn't care about the yellow card that was to come his way after he took of his jersey as he celebrated wildly with his teammates. i too, celebrated wildly! any team by United IS the motto for me. the Etihad crowd simply could not believe all that was happening! i bet the United fans also couldn't imagine their "noisy neighbours" could pull off such a dramatic ending to one of the best Premier League seasons in years. City 3-2 QPR: JOB DONE. QPR may have lost the match, but they will live to fight another season in the top flight as Bolton drew 2-2, which allowed QPR to stay up and resulting in relegation for The Trotters.
for me, the best moments of the match was Aguero's winner and the scene of captain Vincent Kompany lifting the Premier League trophy. United may not have gotten their 20th title this year, but sooner or later they will surely get it. i can't wait for season 12/13 to roll around. i hope it's as exciting as this one!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Heartbreak in Wembley
FA CUP FINAL: RESULT - Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool
Another trip to Wembley, another win? That's what I was hoping! But Chelsea had other plans... It's heartbreak for the boys at this same stadium where a few months ago they celebrated a win (an unconvincing one) over Cardiff City in the League Cup. Today though, it was altogether different...
Hmmm...where do I begin? Reina's inability to dash out of his goal to stop a player from scoring past him in a one-to-one situation? Or Andy Carroll's 'goal' that was disallowed? Either way, I watched my beloved Liverpool take on Chelsea in this season's FA Cup, and left feeling pretty deflated. To be honest, Liverpool just didn't get in the game. They were abysmal in the first half, with all of the players running around like headless chickens, and also going into the break 1-0 down, thanks to a nice goal from Ramires. This is where I am frustrated: why was Reina left stranded at where he was standing? Why couldn't he rush out to try getting the ball? Not the first time he's been in such a situation... Sigh. And the header by Carroll that didn't result in a goal, despite it 'crossing the goal line'. What the heck??? The football governing bodies are always talking about implementing goal line technology, but until now has failed to provide a decent technology that can be used in games such as this. Now, here's a dilemma, and the referee and linesmen can't prove anything. Seriously, this is all a joke. Football's being run by nutcases. Sorry for straying away from my personal review of the Cup final. Overall, it's been a decent cup run for my Liverpool this season. Premier League form has been atrocious, but I'm pretty confident next season will be a big change. No point dwelling on this defeat. There are always bigger things to look forward to. Here's to success next season. YNWA!
Another trip to Wembley, another win? That's what I was hoping! But Chelsea had other plans... It's heartbreak for the boys at this same stadium where a few months ago they celebrated a win (an unconvincing one) over Cardiff City in the League Cup. Today though, it was altogether different...
Hmmm...where do I begin? Reina's inability to dash out of his goal to stop a player from scoring past him in a one-to-one situation? Or Andy Carroll's 'goal' that was disallowed? Either way, I watched my beloved Liverpool take on Chelsea in this season's FA Cup, and left feeling pretty deflated. To be honest, Liverpool just didn't get in the game. They were abysmal in the first half, with all of the players running around like headless chickens, and also going into the break 1-0 down, thanks to a nice goal from Ramires. This is where I am frustrated: why was Reina left stranded at where he was standing? Why couldn't he rush out to try getting the ball? Not the first time he's been in such a situation... Sigh. And the header by Carroll that didn't result in a goal, despite it 'crossing the goal line'. What the heck??? The football governing bodies are always talking about implementing goal line technology, but until now has failed to provide a decent technology that can be used in games such as this. Now, here's a dilemma, and the referee and linesmen can't prove anything. Seriously, this is all a joke. Football's being run by nutcases. Sorry for straying away from my personal review of the Cup final. Overall, it's been a decent cup run for my Liverpool this season. Premier League form has been atrocious, but I'm pretty confident next season will be a big change. No point dwelling on this defeat. There are always bigger things to look forward to. Here's to success next season. YNWA!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern Munich (B. Munich win 3-1 on penalties)
Real Madrid's hopes of landing their 10th European Cup title (and manager Jose Mourinho's hopes of winning the CL title 3 times with 3 different teams) went up in smoke after losing 3-1 in penalties to Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu this morning. The match had finished 2-1 to Real in normal time, making them all square in a 3-3 aggregate score, hence the resulting penalty shoot-out to decide who goes through to the final in Munich, at Bayern's own stadium, the Allianz Arena. I didn't watch the match "live", so I don't want to comment too much on it personally and not going into the FULL details of the match, but judging from the highlights I watched, it seemed that Real Madrid were the better team in the whole 90 minutes of normal time. Winning 2-1 was not enough, it seemed, and "hero" of normal time, Cristiano Ronaldo, became "zero" after he missed his penalty in the shoot-out! Such was his (and his team's) luck! Bayern's Bastian Schweinsteiger became the 'hero' after he scored the penalty that effectively killed off Real's hopes of entering the final.
With so much going on in the match I wished I could have watched it "live", but it was too late for me. Having already watched the Chelsea - Barcelona game yesterday and lacking sleep I wasn't going to repeat that for the 2nd night in a row! Haha! But as for the final, THAT I will sacrifice sleep to watch! It will definitely be a cracker! ;)
So glad that it's gonna be Bayern Munich vs Chelsea. Glad that B. Munich will get to play in their own stadium... :)
With so much going on in the match I wished I could have watched it "live", but it was too late for me. Having already watched the Chelsea - Barcelona game yesterday and lacking sleep I wasn't going to repeat that for the 2nd night in a row! Haha! But as for the final, THAT I will sacrifice sleep to watch! It will definitely be a cracker! ;)
So glad that it's gonna be Bayern Munich vs Chelsea. Glad that B. Munich will get to play in their own stadium... :)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
VIVA TORRES (and Chelsea!)
BLUE IS THE COLOUR!!! VIVA TORRES!!!
Chelsea's victory over Barcelona in this morning's Champions League semi-final 2nd leg was both exciting and heart-stopping. Also, both in a good way and a bad way. Despite playing with only 10 men they just had the sheer will to frustrate Barca and keep pressing on, resulting in a richly-rewarded third goal that totally killed of Barca's hopes of getting a winner in the game. To top it all off, it was the much-maligned Fernando Torres who scored the goal in the last minute! This despite Barca getting two goals early in the game, making Didier Drogba's solitary first leg goal redundant. It seemed as though Barca were going to go rampant and reach the final easily, given that Chelsea were playing with 10 men, with captain John Terry needlessly getting himself sent off in the first half. But Chelsea had other ideas. Ramires scored at the stroke of the end of the first half a sublime chip over 'keeper Victor Valdes against the run of play, giving Chelsea a lifeline, and making the scoreline 2-1. Second half, Barca totally dominated the whole game again. Barca just kept pressing on and on at the Chelsea goal, hit the post a few times, and Lionel Messi hit the crossbar with his penalty kick. It showed that the 'CL title defence curse' struck again. No team has ever defended the CL title back-to-back in its current format. The last team to defend the trophy was AC Milan back in 1990, and back then it was still called the European Cup. Well, there was only going to be one winner, and Chelsea really worked hard to earn their place in the final. Tough luck, Barca... Looking back, whoa...it was such heart-wrenching and nail-biting stuff! It was good to see Torres score a good goal to give himself and the team a kind of confidence. Totally worth watching, man... I only got home around 5a.m. got less than 2 hours of sleep, but it's all worth it. Chelsea, in only their 2nd final in the Champions League, will definitely fight on, and will most probably give whoever their other final opponent is a good fight. If they showed heart and character here with only 10 men, then with 11 men I am sure they will work their opponents hard in the final. For Barcelona, there's always next season to try again.....
Come on, Chelsea! Go claim your first ever CL trophy!
Chelsea's victory over Barcelona in this morning's Champions League semi-final 2nd leg was both exciting and heart-stopping. Also, both in a good way and a bad way. Despite playing with only 10 men they just had the sheer will to frustrate Barca and keep pressing on, resulting in a richly-rewarded third goal that totally killed of Barca's hopes of getting a winner in the game. To top it all off, it was the much-maligned Fernando Torres who scored the goal in the last minute! This despite Barca getting two goals early in the game, making Didier Drogba's solitary first leg goal redundant. It seemed as though Barca were going to go rampant and reach the final easily, given that Chelsea were playing with 10 men, with captain John Terry needlessly getting himself sent off in the first half. But Chelsea had other ideas. Ramires scored at the stroke of the end of the first half a sublime chip over 'keeper Victor Valdes against the run of play, giving Chelsea a lifeline, and making the scoreline 2-1. Second half, Barca totally dominated the whole game again. Barca just kept pressing on and on at the Chelsea goal, hit the post a few times, and Lionel Messi hit the crossbar with his penalty kick. It showed that the 'CL title defence curse' struck again. No team has ever defended the CL title back-to-back in its current format. The last team to defend the trophy was AC Milan back in 1990, and back then it was still called the European Cup. Well, there was only going to be one winner, and Chelsea really worked hard to earn their place in the final. Tough luck, Barca... Looking back, whoa...it was such heart-wrenching and nail-biting stuff! It was good to see Torres score a good goal to give himself and the team a kind of confidence. Totally worth watching, man... I only got home around 5a.m. got less than 2 hours of sleep, but it's all worth it. Chelsea, in only their 2nd final in the Champions League, will definitely fight on, and will most probably give whoever their other final opponent is a good fight. If they showed heart and character here with only 10 men, then with 11 men I am sure they will work their opponents hard in the final. For Barcelona, there's always next season to try again.....
Come on, Chelsea! Go claim your first ever CL trophy!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Nico Rosberg wins 2012 Chinese Grand Prix!
Just watched the Chinese Grand Prix through live streaming. Boy, was it an interesting race! So much overtaking and exciting moments! Also glad to see Nico Rosberg of Mercedes AMG Petronas get his first victory in his Formula One career. It also happened to be Mercedes' first win as a works team since 1955! He started from pole position, and went on to hold off the other drivers to grab his first win. Great drive from Nico, but a shame his teammate, Michael Schumacher retired with a loose wheel early in the race. Apparently a mechanic failed to screw the nut into the wheel, resulting in Schumacher stopping the car to prevent any more damage to the car. Such bad luck, as he was then running in second position. Could have been a Merc 1-2... Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, both of Mclaren Mercedes, came in second and third respectively. Here are the rest of the results:
All said and done, just good that F1 is not so predictable this year. Hope to see more new winners!
Next stop: Bahrain Grand Prix, next weekend!
| 4. |  Mark Webber | Red Bull | +27.924 | ||
| 5. | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | +30.483 | ||
| 6. | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | +31.491 | ||
| 7. | Bruno Senna | Williams | +34.597 | ||
| 8. | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | +35.643 | ||
| 9. | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | +37.256 | ||
| 10. | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | +38.720 | ||
| 11. | Sergio Perez | Sauber | +41.066 | ||
| 12. | Paul di Resta | Force India | +42.273 | ||
| 13. | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | +42.779 | ||
| 14. | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus | +50.573 | ||
| 15. | Nico Hülkenberg | Force India | +51.213 | ||
| 16. | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso | +51.756 | ||
| 17. | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | +1:03.156 | ||
| 18. | Vitaly Petrov | Caterham | +1 Lap | ||
| 19. | Timo Glock | Marussia | +1 Lap | ||
| 20. | Charles Pic | Marussia | +1 Lap | ||
| 21. | Pedro de la Rosa | HRT | +1 Lap | ||
| 22. | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT | +2 Laps | ||
| 23. | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham | +3 Laps |
All said and done, just good that F1 is not so predictable this year. Hope to see more new winners!
Next stop: Bahrain Grand Prix, next weekend!
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