Liverpool's second straight thrilling win

I’ve never watched an FA Cup Final before, but I’d have to say this was one of the most dramatic football games I have ever seen this past year. It could be argued that the ebb and flow was better than in Liverpool’s thrilling comeback against AC and Barcelona’s dramatic win over Arsenal in last and this year’s Champion’s League finals respectively. And this game had an extra 30 minutes plus penalty kicks. The sight in the extra time was like more reminiscent of a battlefield than a soccer games as one after another player collapsed from exhaustion or injury.

Applying Univision’s old commentator Norberto Longo’s rule about players and teams (great players make great teams and great teams make great games), Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard right now is as fine a player as there is in the world. On my personal list I think he’s right behind Ronaldinho and Henry. His scintillating performance in this game has lifted him into that spot on my list. The man was simply brilliant in this game. To borrow from basketball’s vernacular, he was simply Jordanesque in that he would not allow his team to lose. He had a hand in all three goals (assisting brilliantly on the first and personally scoring the last two). He also made his PK in decisive manner.

West Ham went up 2-0 thanks in part to an own goal by Jamie Carragher and a quirky rebound goal by Ashton . Liverpool pulled one back after a beautiful pass from Gerrard was finished off by a sliding volley by Cisse. Then Gerrard made it 2-2 after a beautiful strike to the roof of the net on a rebound. West Ham went back up on a crazy center/shot from Konchesky, only to see Gerrard tie in extra time with an absolute ‘screamer’ from 35 yards out.

In the extra time, apart from the battlefield like scenario, Harewood of West Ham actually had the best chance in 5 yards in front of goal after a stupendous save from Pepe Reyna that knocked a dangerous ball of the post and back into play. All Harewood had to do was come up with an easy half volley to win this for West Ham but apparently he also was too exhausted to do that as he shanked it wide left. It was pretty obvious Liverpool just played it out for the PKs.

The PK’s were anti-climatic (as they usually are) as West Ham just couldn’t put into net (they only managed 1) as Liverpool converted 3. For a second year in a row, Liverpool managed a thrilling comeback win to lift a major trophy.

Barcelona ruins Arsenal shutout streak

I became a futbol fanatic one year I lived in Spain as a ten year old. I lived in Madrid but my favorite team was the Barcelona of Johan Cruyff, Hugo Sotil, and Miguel Rexach. I have been a drop-dead Barcelona fanatic ever since. The highlight of the season for that Barca team came as they gave Real Madrid a golada of 5-0. I still think Cruyff was the best player of all time. So its no surprise that I was supremely stoked for Wednesday's Champion's League final between Barcelona and Arsenal.

The Gunners hadn’t allowed a goal since Match Day 2 and only 2 in the entire competition. The two goals they allowed between minutes 76 and 81 doomed their aspirations of winning the Champion’s League Final. Goals by one of the world’s premier strikers Samuel Eto’o and also by substitute Belleti, both on assists by Henrik Larssen, were the difference in an extremely tight game between the two classic teams.

Arsenal bravely held off an extremely skilled Barca team, playing with only 10 men since the 18th minute, when Eto’o was brought down by Gunner keeper Lehmann on the edge of the box on a breakaway (after Eto'o was tackled the ball rolled to Giuly who put the ball in the back of the net). Lehmann earned a red card and Arsenal were forced to sacrifice Robert Pires and play shorthanded. The hot debate of the play was whether the referee should have allowed the ensuing goal rather than red carding Lehmann. Barcelona would have a goal and Arsenal their full team. As it ended up, Ronaldinho’s ensuing free kick went wide of the left post and although the score was still nil-nil, Arsenal would have to play shorthanded the rest of the match. The tense drama was thus beautifully established.

Arsenal had proven their exceptional defensive prowess throughout the competition, and their bid to pitch a shutout that had started in Match Day 2 lasted until the 76th minute. In between the 18th and the 76th, Sol Campbell headed in a perfect cross from Henry that Victor Valdes could only stare at. The play had been set up by Eboue’s dive on the edge of the box as it didn’t appear that Puyol even touched him on the play. No matter, the Gunners took advantage and this game took on an even more surprising form. In the 45th, Eto’o got a clear chance at goal but hit the post but replays showed that new keeper Almunia actually deflected the ball into the post thus you have to credit him with a great save at the time. The game headed into the second intermission and one wondered if Arsenal would crumple in the face of relentless Barca pressure.

After the break, Iniesta replaced Edmilson for Barca and then the key subsitution occurred as Larssen replaced the ineffective vanBommel in the 61st minute. The next 6 minutes proved to be critical to the outcome of the game. Hleb went wide with a grazing shot in the 61st and Valdez saved Henry point-blank in the 67th minute. Two clear opportunities for goal on breakaways. Had Henry netted, I think would surely have spelled doom for the Azulgrana. As it resulted, Barca poured it on and eventually got their two well deserved goals to clinch it.

A lot of credit has to go to the Arsenal defense (see more on that below) for resisting as long as they did. Had Arsenal been able to hold Barca off until the 80th or so, I think the dreaded frustration factor would have kicked in (you know when a soccer team dominates endlessly but just can't put in the back of the net and it starts to lose confidence and then it just never does score) and Arsenal would have won it. Also of interest was the fact that ESPN commentators Tommy Smythe kept saying that Henry wanted Arsene Wegner to put in a substitute to give him some help, but that help came too late in the forms of Juan Antonio Reyes in the 85th minute. (Why do coaches wait so long to make a tactical substitution especially in a game where your players are getting tired because they only have 10 men ? Bad bad move Arsene).

There were some interesting pre World Cup previews on display in this game. For one, if Ronaldinho and Henry are the arguably the two premier players in the world (an argument I have made before here), then now I think that Kolo Toure could be the best defender on the planet. His defense on Ronaldinho was absolutely incredible tonight. He made the stunning Brazilian look less than stellar tonight. Also, Sol Campbell looks to be quite well recovered and looks to be quite fit to play for England.

I also think the Spanish players (Fabregas, Puyol, and Reyes had he been allowed a chance to play more than 6 or 7 minutes) are going to make Spain a very dangerous team at this year's World Cup. Could this be the year that Spain break through? I don't know but I hope so.

At least for now, I'm quite content that my beloved Barca is atop the Champion's League.

Sevillana UEFA Cup Final

The UEFA Cup final between Sevilla and Middlesborough in Eindhoven put me in a difficult place since I almost always cheer for any Spanish team in European competition having learned about soccer during my one year stay in Madrid as a kid, but I also have a special fondness for the 'Boro Teesiders ever since the days the tiny Brazilian Juninho played for the team in the mid 90's and sparked a revival in the club.

This game was also interesting in that it was the first of two Spanish vs English matchups for UEFA club championships. Call it the appetizer to what many people are already dubbing a classic Champion’s League’s main course match between Arsenal and Barcelona. And a very entertaining match it was for 75 minutes before Sevilla scored three goals to bury Boro for good and win for their trophy starved fans.

This game was a track meet from the get go with both clubs going up and down the field in a fast and furious manner. But from he outset, Sevilla was the better organized and more skillful team and quickly demonstrated that by gaining control of midfield. Sevilla with its 3 Brazilians (Fabiano, Adriano and Alves), 1 Argentine (Saviola), and 1 Italian (Maresca) had enough Latin flair on the field and ‘Boro soon looked like those old English clubs who could only play the long ball through the air.

Fabiano got Sevilla’s first in the 27th minute on a beautiful header that Schwartz could only look at. In the 29th, the Brazilian striker blasted another shot above the bar. On the other end, it was as if Viduka and Hasselbank weren’t on the pitch. Sevilla’s physical defender put the clamps on Viduka early and never let him out of his sight (more on this later).

At the start of the second half, Sevilla took out Saviola and replaced with Mali international Kanoute and ‘Boro countered with Maccarone for Morrison on the right side. For the first 2 minutes this looked like a good move as Maccarone established some presence on the right wing with some good runs. At the 49th minute, the game changed for good as Navas, the young Spanish playmaker led a break down Sevilla’s right side with tremendous speed, leaving Gareth Southgathe in his dust. The play culminated with a wonderful shot by Fabiano that didn’t miss by much. Moments later, Viduka was denied on a point blank shot by the Sevilla keeper. Sevilla countered again with the dazzingly fast Navas. This was the clear turning point of the game as ‘Boro was denied the equalizer and Navas continued to set the tone by burning down the right side, exposing Middlesborough's lack of pace at that flank.

Middlesborough didn’t quite give up at this juncture though and they got a good shot from Maccarone in the 59th and a free kick from Hasselbank in the 68th that went just over the bar. Then in the 76th Viduka had another clear shot at goal which he missed wide right. Moments later Viduka was brought down in the area by Javi Navarro, who had played him tough all along. The referee didn’t call a PK but he should have. Viduka doesn’t go down easy but he was hammered in this case.

This represented ‘Boro’s last gasp to get an equalizer. In the 78th, Maresca latched on to a rebound from a Kanoute shot to make it 2-0. The play had been initially started by Maresca as a pass from midfield found a wide opening in the ‘Boro defense. Maresca slotted it to Navas, who continued to own the right wing. Navas cleverly crossed it back to Kanoute for his powerful shot which Schwarzer couldn’t hold. If fans thought ‘Boro still had a prayer, Maresca himself put the final dagger with a beautiful ‘bounce’ shot past a befuddled ‘Boro keeper. Kanoute finished the job with a garbage time goal after another shot from, you guessed it, Navas (definitely my man of the match for the influence he had on the game although the popular pick was the goal scorer Maresca).

Arsenal better had paid attention to this game because Sevilla plays a very similar game to Barcelona and in this two match test of which league is better, Sevilla has given round 1 to the Liga over the EPL.

Mlan-Barcelona Leg 2

True futbol fanatics do not hesitate to watch a game between two great teams even if the score is known beforehand. That is how I found myself watching a replay of the second leg between the Rosinneri and Barca shown by Fox Sports Channel the day after the game was actually played at the Nou Camp.

And I am glad I watched. This was an extraordinary football match, the kind that gets your blood boiling, the kind that never stops to amaze you, and up and down scintillating display of total team football displayed by both sides. One minute it was Barcelona attacking through Ronaldinho, Deco, and Eto’o. The next, it was Milan coming back through Kaka, Seedord, Shevchenko, and Inzaghi.

This was a soccer game masquerading as a run and gun basketball game, with players going, to borrow another term from the basketball vernacular, “coast to coast” . The game reminded me of some of the great games the “showtime” Lakers were famous for back in the 80’s.

The comparisons to the Lakers do not end there. Ronaldinho is the Magic Johnson of the soccer world. He has flair, he has intelligence, he has great vision, he even has “no-look” passes. Even for Brazilians, noted for the most elegant style of play, he is far the best of his generation. Ronaldo and Rivaldo were great strikers, but Ronaldinho is a great midfielder player, which makes him capable of influencing a game in many more ways than just by scoring goals. He has the ability to take over a game, a feat much harder in soccer than in basketball. If Ronaldinho played basketball, I have no doubt he would be pretty good at it.

Univision’s old announcing team were Andres Cantor and Norberto Longo. Longo used to say that “great players made great teams, and that great teams made great games” . This was in clear display tonight and should be again when my two favourite players, Ronaldinho and Henri, square up in what should be a great final.

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As for the game itself, it started out with a bang, with Kaka streaking down the right hand side and shooting just wide with the match a scant 45 seconds old. Dida, Milan’s great Brazlian keeper kept the Rosinneri in the game with two stupendous saves on Samuel Eto’o. And Ronaldinho was just barely high on a shot of his own. In the second half, Milan caught Barcelona napping on a free kick and Andriy Shevchenko buried in the back of the net in the 69th minute. The goal was annulled on a foul called by referee Markus Merk for a push on Puyol, but replays showed that Puyol was not pushed but tripped over his own feet. Towards the end Milan brought in Rui Costa and Cafu but could not break through the Catalan defense.

With the victory, Barcelona gained their fourth club championship game. They avenged the 4-nil drubbing administered to them back in the 1994 final.