Thursday, May 26, 2005

Max for The Beautiful Game

From a post by Riggs is Crazy:

Soccer – Get up pussy!
– If anyone reading my blog likes soccer, don’t bother coming back. You’re about as welcome as fat Canadians in Murphy’s bedroom.

This post is in response to that.

I have just come home from watching the UEFA Cup final: Liverpool FC v AC Milan. The match was in
Istanbul; I watched it on tv in U Zpěváčků, of course. The game was the most exciting sporting event I have seen in a long time. I am not a true Liverpool fan, but Liverpool have two great Czech footballers playing for them, Milan Baroš and Vladimír Šmicer, and I root for Czechs.

The Liverpool FC website had this to say about the match:
On what will go down as THE most incredible night in this club's illustrious history the Reds amazingly fought back from a 3-0 half-time deficit and won the match on penalties.

AC Milan scored their first goal in the 1st minute. By the half they were ahead 3-0. I thought it was hopeless and suggested to Mike that we just turn off the tv. Luckily he did not listen to me.

In the second half,
Liverpool scored in the 54th minute, the 56th minute and the 59th minute. Unbelievable. The second goal was scored by Šmicer (hooray!). Regular time ended in a 3-3 draw. Neither team produced a goal in the 30 minutes of extra time. The game came down to penalty kicks.

Now, a lot of people object to penalty shoot-outs as being not fair, not reflective at all of how the teams have played during the game, etc. But, bloody hell, they are exciting.

Just last Saturday Arsenal beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final on a penalty shoot-out after a 0-0 draw -- a fantastic ending to the match.

Jerzy Dudek,
Liverpool's Polish goalkeeper was a hero. With 3 minutes remaining in extra time he performed a miraculous double save when, after he blocked Shevchenko's header and was still on the ground, Shevchenko tried to kick the ball in over his head and he managed to block that as well.

The penalties:
Milan – Serginho’s shot went over the top of the goal. We cheered.
Liverpool – Hamann scored. We yelled.
Milan – Dudek blocked Pirlo’s shot. We shouted.
Liverpool – Cisse scored. We screamed.
Milan – Tomasson scored. Quiet (except for Olive who was the sole Milan supporter in the bar).
Liverpool – Riise’s shot was blocked. We groaned.
Milan – Kaka scored. Quiet again.
LiverpoolŠmicer scored. We screamed some more.
Milan – Dudek, the hero, blocked Shevchenko’s shot. The bar exploded.

I really don’t understand how anyone can not love football/soccer. By the way, the US is playing England in a friendly this Saturday. Why don't you lot over there in America watch that? You might even like it.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Soccer/Fussball/football kicks ass! I will never forget my first match in Cologne Germany. It was Koln vs Bremen ( I think) it was back in '96 the fireworks, the raging fans who scream out every single player's name when the they come trotting out onto the field.I watch Roma vs Leguno in little Italy with the DO IT's and their sons. OMG! The fans were protesting Roma because one of the hot players was rumoured to be traded onto another team. There was news that a child was crushed in the protests outside so both soccer teams stopped the game. Suspensa! Turns out no childred were injured or died it was a bad hoax. grrrr.
Soccer is actually the only sport (apart from Tennis) I can watch on TV and get excited about. The boyz hullo? if you look closly at their legs and thighs you may catch a glimpse of their nice monsters hidding in their shorts. Those muscular Thighs OMG! The legs! I am a leg girl, I love a good pair of men's legs.
Hey Max thanks for reminding me to spend this rainy weekend in the pub to watch the match on a big screen tv drinking beer with a bunch of excited men. mmmm.
Besides, Soccer players make American Football players look like pussy's. All that gear to stand around a field with lines and numbers on the grass and men dressed like Zebra's blowing their whistle, for what?
In Soccer they actually run, fast, and there is way more action going on. Plus the rules are easy to follow.
If you don't like Soccer, you are simply stupid. ahhhh that would make a great bumper sticker!
Gotta go and sell my idea.

Au revoir ma chere Max,
See you at Mado's Cabaret in Las Vegas my dears...

Monkey's Max said...

Ladies and gentlemen, the Mad Canadian.

Anonymous said...

By the way, Canadian has a different meaning that what you are used to. It is a sneaky way of refering to a race of people. I think it became popular with waiters and waitresses who would give other a heads up on a table of canadian because they dont tip well. Canadians are black people.

AG said...

Hey, mad canuk, why can't you just say all those nice things without the crappy jab at USA sports. I'm the first to admit that canadians whip ass over the Americans. Why don't you leave well enough alone.

By the way, I heard you're crossing the pond. Can't wait to see you, schmuck.

Murphy said...

Bravo Riggs! And Max, he's right. You can keep your soccer...and can have our Canadians as well.

Monkey's Max said...

AG, what do you mean "Canadians whip ass"? You need to brush up on my theory on Canadians.

SS, thanks for the lesson in ethnographics. Where is my guest blog?

Riggs, none of us on these comments is Euro. We are all North American.

I saw some of the England-Czech women's soccer match tonight. Czechs were up 1-0 at the half when Mike switched over to North American Sports Network for baseball.

Anonymous said...

Yo Yo Bling Bling ag get over yourself! You guys are pissed off because it's always the Canadians vs The Czechs in the finals of most sporting events. Luckly I am from the best of both worlds.


PS I love Francesco Totti and Del Pietro...they are MY boyz.

AG said...

Sorry Max, I wasn't clear enough. I meant in hockey.