Happy Day to all Mothers

Silvija Greko’s son Nickollas became a Palmeiras fan after meeting Neymar, who had been a Palmeiras fan as a child. When Nickollas was five years old, Silvija took him to Palmeiras' stadium to his first match, although Nickollas was born blind. Initially, she gave him a radio to listen to the matches, but Nickollas wanted to listen to the atmosphere and sounds of the Allianz Parque stadium in Sao Paulo, home of Palmeiras.
Today, Sivija narrates every detail of the match to her son, a fan who lives the marvel of football through the words of his mother.

Diego Armando Maradona

I was at a meeting when I received a message of the passing away of Diego Armando Maradona, and it frankly blew me away. I grew up with Maradona; he was one of the main reasons for me becoming a football fan; he embodied the magic of football like no other, and has, and will always be, a reference point for any footballer today and tomorrow.

God needed Maradona for his team of Angels.

Maradona rose from deep poverty to the heights of fame and money through the apparently trivial talent of kicking a ball. With this talent he brought about admiration and happiness to millions of fans across the world (among which I count myself); but despite fame and money Maradona was always his own man, for good and for bad, an imperfect man, like all of us.

As the football fans mourn, we must also have gratitude to have lived as a contemporary of Diego Armando Maradona.

Gracias Diego!

Who was robbed?

One of the bad things about the World Cup is that people take it way too seriously. People who will never get excited about a Champions League or League match (which are so much better than the vast majority of World Cup matches) will get excited about the game because they get to wave a coloured piece of cloth called a flag, sing the anthem, and support 11 guys who happen to share their passport.
Some people get tears in their eyes because of the nationalistic fervor, others use it to confirm their wrong stereotypes about other nationalities.
The worst are people who in their indignant ignorance see conspiracies in the footballing results: "It is a scandal!!! We were robbed!!!"
Who the fuck robbed you? Did you call the police? And who is "we"? Are you one of the players who were "robbed"?
What did these people rob you? A football result!? Why don't you have a beer and relax? There are way more important things in the world...

https://fromacomrade.tumblr.com/post/171731237118

My predictions for the World Cup... or not....

I was going to make my predictions for this World Cup. But the truth is that I cannot. It is not because the usual reason (that I am always wrong). Rather, it is because I have realized I have a hard time getting excited about this World Cup.
I fell in love with the World Cup in 1986, and since then every four years have been special in my otherwise dull life. I remember where I have been every time, and remember many matches in a special way. Four years ago I was incredibly excited, and after trying vainly to get tickets for Brazil, I instead made a trip to many of the countries participating in the tournament, watching the tournament with friends around the world. My first disappointment in this tournament was again being unable to get tickets through a system that lacks transparency and ease.
But it goes deeper than this.
A friend recently asked me "Is it because it is in Russia?".
Absolutely not: I believe Russia will be as great hosts as anybody else would be!

No, the problem goes deeper to football: the ugly nationalism that football promotes (more or less consciously); the corruption and match fixing (having read the book "The Fix", I think this is much more widespread than us fans would like to know about); FIFA's insincere management of the game (well illustrated by the ticketing and the initiatives to expand the World Cup); the widespread misogyny in football that few really want to address; the hatred between fans that still assails the game; the players, who more as examples for youth, spend their time showing off their money and fame, and spend half their time acting on the pitch (football is sadly the most dishonest sport in the world); racism and xenophobia (yes, it exists and is growing in every single country and league); the hypocritical infiltration of politics into football (recently illustrated by German fans booing Gundogan in a match against Saudi Arabia); football's half-hearted and dishonest efforts in really trying to address all these problems....

Many years ago I read a comic by the great Enki Bilal, "Hors Jeu"; a bleak future world in which the last football match is being played, following the deterioration of the game due to violence, money, corruption, etc. While the comic ends with some hope when the narrator describes some children playing football on the street, as a symbol of the innocence of the beautiful game, I do wonder whether this innocence barely exists any longer, and that football is heading towards its own destruction.

The last World Cup...? Maybe I will get excited in a few days, but I have been trying without luck.

Never say never

Last week I was following the Danish league from El Salvador, hoping to learn that Brondby had ensured the Danish title. A win at home against FC Midtjylland would make it certain, while a tie would make it highly likely. But they lost at home to the team from Jutland, and so the ace was with the latter, and in the last two matches they did not disappoint, defeating first the defending champions of FC Copenhagen and finally defeating Horsens at home to take the title. Brondby, in the meantime, only managed two meager ties, and ends on a hugely disappointing second spot, after having led the league for most of the season. Their recent Cup title is only a small reward for a team that has been mediocre for many years, and not won a Danish title since 2005, and suddenly seems far from a new title.
I had been ready to wear my Brondby shirt and celebrate. Instead I chose a weekend with no football, not even the FA Cup final (won by Chelsea), promising myself that I would NEVER again watch football.
But next weekend is the Champions League final, so I will wait a bit to never watch football again.

A ticket for me?

I have seen in the news that most European leaders and Royals will not attend the World Cup due to some alleged political case against Russia. While all these great and intelligent world leaders seem to be riling against one another, a small average guy like me is still hoping to get a ticket for the World Cup. I can take one of these leftover tickets. I will pay for it. I may not be a world leader, intelligent, nor even special in any way. But I just really want to go to a World Cup.

Shout out to the World Football phone in

The BBCs World Football Phone In just celebrated its 20 year anniversary, and as always I greatly enjoyed the show. I have been listening to the show on podcast since 2006, when I was in Ghana. During my time in Mozambique it became a staple on my rather dull life, and I think I have barely missed a show since then, as I have been in Venezuela, Liberia, and now in El Salvador.

In all these places the show has been a fantastic companion. I am rather more dark and pessimistic than the show is, but the positive spirit of the show has always put me in a good mood, and made me feel I am part of this family of worldwide football fans, who love the game, and can have a pint and laugh at our silly discussions about the beautiful game.

This is more rare than common, which makes the show so much more special!

Football is like love

Lionel Messi is a sore loser. So am I.
I admit it. I have many times said I will never watch football again when I get depressed after bad results (which has happened more than once...).
But football is like love; you suffer it, but you always return to it.
After Lionel Messi's hugely disappointing defeat to Chile in the 2016 Copa America final (his third final defeat with Argentina in as many years), Lionel Messi announced that he would quit the Argentine National Team. But now Messi has reversed his decision, as he has accepted a call back by the new Argentine Manager Edgardo Bauza to the World Cup qualifiers in September.
This is great.
I am sure Messi will be criticized by many for this, which many will see as inconsistent and hypocritical.
But I understand it, as I am sure any real football fan understands it.
I will now watch football again.

I quit

It was indeed Deja-vu in New Jersey, much more than I, or any Argentina fan had dared hope for. 0-0 in ordinary time, only for Chile to take the title on penalty kicks. The third final loss for Argentina in three years, they seem unable to take a title (and Higuain to score in a final....).
I have to admit that this was another hard hit after a week with many hard hits.
Lionel Messi missed a penalty, and after the match announced that he is retiring from international football at the realtively young age of 29, and with what is a World Cup ahead in 2018.
I respect Messi's choice, although I wish he would wait until after the World Cup. He is quitting, and the message I get, is that I should quit too. If a man who has won everything is quitting after an admittedly great disappointment, why should I not quit too? Why should we all not quit our disappointing lives of dreading in a threadmill of everyday life, just awaiting for next weeks' 90 minute escape from reality's boredom?
I gotta quit football, and focus on... nothing....

Euro memories

The Euro 2016 is soon to start in France. I must admit that I have a hard time getting excited about a tournament that comes in the background of political crisis in Europe and all the nerves it implies.
In football terms, the expansion of the tournament into 24 teams has in my view watered down the quality and excitement of the tournament; there are simply too many mediocre teams and too many matches before the excitement starts to get there in the quarterfinals. I predict that, as in the World Cup, the first round will be full of defensive careful teams who are more afraid to lose than wanting to take the risk of winning.
That said, in my continuing attempts at getting excited about the tournament I have reflected of some of the good memories of this tournament, based on the top 10 matches that have stuck to my memories. It is purely a subjective list, based not on the matches themselves, but on the circumstances under which I watched them (friends, place, time...);

10. Germany-Turkey 2008: This was the early build-up of a Germany that would take the world with storm and a Turkey side that took Europe with charm. This semifinal, won by Germany 3-2, I watched on a boat between Denmark and Iceland, with friends in a ship-bar where one could not help by get excited about what was a fantastic match.
9. Netherlands-USSR 1988: My first Euro memories are from the 1988 tournament. The 1988 final was an exhibition of a historic Dutch side with the fantastic Marco Van Basten scoring a fantastic winner.
8. Denmark-Sweden 2004: I watched this match full of dilemmas in a bar in Copenhagen. The problem was that 2-2 would put both teams through instead of one of the least charming Italy sides in history. And this was also how it ended after Denmark had tried to defeat their arch-rivals. So it was in many ways a great but bitter-sweet tie. On top of this I should mention that I started this blog right after the Italy-Denmark match in this tournament with the most boring post ever.
7. Spain-Yugoslavia 2000: I was in Spain for this match that Spain won 4-3. I watched it with a bunch of Spanish friends and one Yugoslav friend, and the taunting and good atmosphere of a fantastic and legendary match makes the day and the match specially memorable.
6. England-Germany 1996: In 1996 I was biking around the Danish island of Bornholm with two friends from High School. We watched the match in a bar in a small town. The bar was full of Germans, but all Danes in the bar supported England. The Germans in the end won on penalties to the delight of the Germans and disappointment of the Danes (who were not very gracious losers).
5. Spain-Germany 2008: This was the start of Spanish World football dominance, being their first victory since their meager 1964 Euro win, and I watched the match in a restaurant called "Matstofan" in Borgarness in Iceland, during a great road-boat-trip of the northern Atlantic, where football was constantly in the background (see 10 above).
4. Denmark-Netherlands 1992: I was actually in a hotel in Sweden, alongside my uncle and cousin, for this match. I had just returned from one year in the USA, where it had been difficult to follow football, and could not believe Denmark had made it to the semifinals. In the end Denmark won an incredibly dramatic match against the defending champions, and we were delighted.
3. Sweden-England 2012: I was there, in the beautiful Stadium in Kiev, for a great match won 3-2 by England. The Euro 2012 is the first and only time I have traveled to a tournament, alongside a great friend, and it was great.
2. Portugal-Denmark 2012: This match was won 3-2 by Portugal, and I was also there at the stadium in Lviv. Of course it was a bit disappointing to lose, but this was only secondary to the fun day in the beautiful and welcoming city of Lviv alongside many fans, and even ending the day in a karaoke bar after the match, singing alongside drunken Portuguese fans.
1. Denmark-Germany 1992: Every Dane alive in 1992 remembers what they were doing when Denmark won the European Championship. This was one of the miracles in footballing history. I had just returned from one year in the US, and was one week in Denmark before joining my parents in Spain. By the time I returned to Spain, Denmark were European champions, and I had watched the semifinal in Sweden (see 4 above) and I was in the small town of Ikast for the final. Ikast is not a city that is memorable for anything, but that day was an incredible party that I will never forget (just like everywhere in Denmark).

Valencia making me happy

It has not been a good season to be a Valencia fan. They are out of the Europa League, far down in La Liga, with no prospect for European football next season. But in all the misery, a 1-2 victory against mighty FC Barcelona in the Camp Nou makes me more than happy!
Valencia CF were more organized than I have seen them at any time during the season, and looked dangerous in their counter-attack. In fact, they had seen Atletico Madrid's recent victory over the Catalans, and played a similar way, and it worked perfectly.
Great teams are measured more by how they face adversity, and in that, FC Barcelona is failing miserably. Not only are they out of the CL, but they have lost three consecutive La Liga matches (first time this happens since 2003). They squad clearly lacks depth, with no options when things go against them.
La Liga is now on fire, with FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both with 76 points, and Real Madrid with 75.
But I could care less, because I am just delighted that Valencia won!

The day I became Napoli fan

I have never had a favourites Italian team. Many years ago I used to follow the Serie A closely, but this ended with the corruption scandals surrounding Juventus in the mid-00s. As an avid Maradona fan I had also always sympathized with Napoli. But the lack of results and the fact that I had never visited Naples, caused me not to become a fan.
That has changed today.
I am visiting the beautiful city of Naples for the first time in my life and when I learned that Napoli was playing Lazio I immediately got a ticket for the legendary stadium of San Paolo, the temple where they adored Maradona. As much of the city, the stadium is somewhat worn down, but remains beautiful and imposing, and with a fantastic atmosphere provided by the Napoli supporters.

The team itself has not started the Serie A in the best way, without victories in their first three matches. But that changed tonight when they resoundingly defeated Lazio 5-0. What most impressed me was how they achieved the victory: high pressure and good passing. There were certainly some signs of weakness in the defense (which stronger teams than Lazio could punish), the attacking combinations were flowing through Hamsik, Allan and Jorginho, to very mobile offensive players like Insigne and Higuaín (Higuaín is not a player I am fond of, but I must admit that he played a great match scoring two excellent goals. He certainly loves playing against Lazio!).

The new coach Maurizio Sarri has now led his team to score 10 goals in the last two matches (last week they defeated Brugge 5-0 in the Europa League), and his side is starting to show the potential for what could be a great season for a great team and a great city.
And I will be cheering on them all the way!

Liberian chaos and delight

Every country I have lived in has done well in football while I am there, so I have expectations that this would happen to Liberia as well. And yesterday they were playing the first home match since the Ebola outbreak; a qualifier for the Africa Cup of Nations against Tunisia.
The match was not played at the main stadium, SKD, which is under renovation, but at the much smaller Antoinette Tubman stadium. Despite the never-ending rain I had bought myself a ticket for 50 USD, in the "around VIP" section. But when I got to the stadium one hour before the match it was complete chaos: people pushing through to get in whatever entrance; riot police that controlled nothing; and nowhere were there any Football Association assistants or ticket controllers to be seen. At some points it was outright scary, and at 4:30 PM (half an hour after match start) I gave up, as other Liberians with 50-USD tickets were loudly complaining that the Liberian Football Association would never refund the hundreds and hundreds of tickets that they probably have oversold.
It is sad for Liberia that their Football Association cannot even organize a football match...

Fortunately there are the Liberian footballers, normal Liberian guys who fight for their country, who managed to give them a not-entirely-expected 1-0 victory against Tunisia. I did not watch the match, but amid the chaos and heavy rain, I cannot imagine it was a good match, but who cares? Liberia are alive in the qualification: they lost their first match to Togo, but are still to face them and the underdogs from Djibouti at home, as well as what will be a difficult match in Tunisia.
That said, it is great that Liberia got some happiness for this fantastic victory!

 

Ten Year anniversary of my blog

Today it is ten years ago I started this blog, during the 2004 European Championships, and immediately after the Italy-Denmark 0-0 tie. That first post was in Danish, but since I have posted in English, on this blog that in ten years has been an expression of one of the most important things in my life. I don't write my blog for anyone but myself, but happy to know that someone may read it. I write when I feel like it; I write what I feel like, with only my passion for the beautiful game as my guide.
I have had my ups and downs in those ten years, both on and off the pitch. I have lived in five countries, traveled to many more countries, and always had football as an entrance and reference point in my otherwise pretty dull life. I wrote about travels in Ghana during the 2006 World Cup, where Ghana became my darling African side. I was in Iceland for the 2008 Euro, celebrating Spain's victory. I was in France when Spain won the World Cup in 2010, in Venezuela during the 2011 Copa America, and travelled to Ukraine for the 2012 Euro.
I have been to see matches in diverse places such as Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko in Accra, Benfica-Braga in Lisbon, Copa Libertadores matches in Caracas, NASL match of the legendary Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, a local match in the deep Mozambican countryside, and even an amputee national match in Monrovia, Liberia.

I have been sad, happy, disappointed, elated, angry, and many more of those emotions one goes through in football, and have expressed them here, sometimes too much, but I have also tried to be objective amid my unapologetic subjectivity.

I don't know if anyone reads this, but if you happen to run into me today, I am buying a beer. I will be hanging around bars in Rome.
Cheers!

Update 2: Trying to get a ticket for the World Cup

I am trying to round up things at work and home before I go on my World Cup vacation, even though I may not be going to the World Cup itself. But I made one last attempt to get a ticket when I was informed that FIFA had now put thousands of tickets on sale on their site. From my poor connection in Liberia in the rainy early hours of the morning I logged onto FIFA to see the availability of tickets a new.
Unfortunately, my plane tickets and agenda for my vacation during the first round has been bought and paid, so it is no longer an option to go to any first round matches. It was nevertheless with enormous regret that I saw that there were tickets available for matches I had previously not been successful in my application for.
Bummer.
I then looked at quarterfinals and forward. Indeed, there were some tickets available, and I tried, tried and tried. I would punch the "add to shopping cart" button, only to be told "this ticket is sold out' as the page reloaded.
Needless to say, I was not one of the lucky ones.

I am looking forward for a wonderful vacation where I will go to different countries to watch football. But I will not go to Brazil, and this leaves me with a sense of regret and wonder at this ticketing process, where thousands can suddenly go on sale. Is this a result from the jungle of ticket sales in the first round, where I did not "win" either"?
I know that what I may say is sacrilegious, but what about the free market? I am willing to pay a lot of money for a ticket, but I am obviously so scary of tickets that will not be honoured that I have not done it. But I would gladly pay a much larger amount than what FIFA has sold them for.
I will be hugely disappointed if, like in South Africa, we will be seeing empty seats for the first round matches in Brazil.

I guess I have to plan for ticket for future World Cups. Who do I have to pay off to get a ticket for Qatar 2022?

"My" countries in the World Cup

The World Cup was my entry to football. I liked seeing countries play, learning about them, and also seeing countries play that I had an attachment to. This continues to be the case, surely more than the quality of football, which is generally much lower than even in secondary European leagues.
That said, of course, there are certain countries I will be watching with more interest than others due to personal attachment to those countries (but as you can see, it will not mean I will support them. This is football, and has nothing to do about my view of the country!):

• Argentina: I lived in Argentina as a child, and my heart is unapologetically Argentine when it comes to national team football. While I will support them, I have many doubts, perhaps because my hope has been shattered so often. Messi, Aguero, Di Maria, Gago, Higuain, Mascherano... It appears a strong side, but in my view they lack balance in defense and weight in midfield. I will be celebrating every one of their goals though.
•  Belgium: I have worked in Brussels, and visit Belgium every year. And even though it is in an international atmosphere where I have been far from Belgian reality, I have always been endeared to the Red Devils. Be sure I will drink a good Belgian beer and support them as their exciting young team may take Brazil with storm!
• Chile: I was born in Chile. I have not had particular attachment to their national team, and four years ago I was one of the few unimpressed as I thought they needed a bit more cynicism under Marcelo Bielsa. This year Chile are, if anything, better than four years ago, and may be the favourites of neutrals. While everyone has expectations, these can also be shattered, as Chile could easily be eliminated in the first round. Whatever happens I won't celebrate, but I won't cry either.
•  Colombia: I have Colombian background, and Colombia is finally back in the World Cup with a strong side. Under Jose Pekerman they play a bit old-fashioned Argentine football, but which also goes back to the strong Argentine influence on Colombian football. They have splendid attacking power (not only the doubtful Falcao) but a defense of old men. They will be popular as a team and for their fans, and I will be cheering with the rest of the world.
• Ghana: Ghana is the first African country I lived in, and was there during the 2006 World Cup, when I became a big fan of the Black Stars. In 2010 I cried with the rest of the world when they did not make the semi-finals. This will be a new test for a side that has nevertheless become more cynical over the years, playing a physical and defensive style that almost seems out of tune with the happiness of Ghanaians. I was almost happy when they were eliminated by Zambia from the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. While I will wear my Ghana shirt every time they play, I hope that they will play better football.
• Spain: I have lived in Spain and have Spanish family and there is little not to love about the country. That said, on a football pitch I have always been critical of Spain. While I was happy they won the 2008 Euro, and admit they deserved the titles in 2010 and 2012, I remain critical of the possessive-defensive style and lack of directness. The total dependence on two clubs that annoy me are also a cause of criticism that makes me generally not support the national team. I do believe they are favourites for the title though.
• USA: I lived in the USA and have visited the country, where I have so many friends, many times. Football (I refuse to call it soccer) has never been the priority but I have followed closely as they get better and better. It will be interesting to see them under Jurgen Klinsmann, who set forward to change US football when he became national coach.

There are of course some countries I will be missing: Denmark, Venezuela, and Liberia!

Monrovia troubles

The Champions League final is one of the most important matches of the year for every self-respecting football fan (and even for the ones who do not respect themselves, like myself). So it was with eagerness I speculated where to watch the match within my Monrovia-bubble.
Now, you have to know that I am an idiot; I never take decisions, but linger forever in the analysis.
After I put down an offer, I went to a bar called "Jamal's" to watch the match. I have watched a match there before. A large screen, but it is catering to fans for specific matches; otherwise they do not like football.
Twenty minutes into the match the screen went black. After three minutes (that is about as long I am willing to wait) I ran (yes, I ran, have you ever run in hot and humid Monrovia?) three blocks to a bar called Sajj. This is where many expatriates go to hang out and drink beer, and indeed, they had put up two screens. I got into the place just as Diego Godin had brought Atletico Madrid ahead 0-1.
Without the possibility of focusing on the match, I was nevertheless happy that Atletico were ahead. Would they really be able to do it...? I would have thought it impossible.
And of course it was impossible. There is only one great team in Madrid.
I found a good spot in Sajj, but halfway into the second half it started raining, and that meant we lost the signal. 50 quiet people in a bar to watch football...
The signal came back in the 92nd minute of the match, just in time to see Sergio Ramos equalising. After this, it was only a question of time before seeing the writing on the wall; years of experience and nerves from the midgets, but Real Madrid won 4-1, humiliating Atletico Madrid much more than they deserved. The saddest thing seemed to be that Diego Simeone went crazy and Raphael Varane did not understand what it is to win. So in the end, a match that all of Madrid should win, became a bit less of a victory for the city.
A bitter-sweet 10th for Real Madrid.
But this is not the saddest part of the match: I managed to watch extra time, drink a couple of beers, but never managed to watch the entire match. It reminded me of the Liverpool-AC Milan final of 2005, when light went out during the penalty kicks, when I also went crazy.

Top ten consolations when you lose

With age comes wisdom. When I was younger I would become quite depressed for days when my football team lost. While my recent disappointment about Valencia's last minute debacle brought down my world for a moment, I have subsequently reflected more on this type of disappointment, which all football fans have undoubtedly tried. Here are the top ten things that console me when we lose:

10) A Beer
9) Blame the coach, who did not do what you would have done.
8) Demonise the opposing team (Easy if it is a country)
7) Complain on social media (from personal experience I can also recommend a blog)
6) Another beer.
5) Look at old clips of your team's glorious moments.
4) Complain to someone who never watches football and cannot understand the subjectivity of your apparently objective arguments.
3) More beer.
2) "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. That is football".
1) Beer.

From light into darkness in a moment

I have been supporting Valencia CF since 2000, and they made me incredibly happy in 2004, when they won the Spanish league as well as the Europa League title. Since then, Valencia has done from bad to worse. They have no chance of playing Champions League next season and are not much more than a mediocre side over the last season's. But against all odds they had made it to the Europa League semifinal to play another Spanish team, Sevilla. Despite losing 2-0 in the first leg in Seville, hope was there: in the quarterfinal Valencia had lost 0-3 to Basel, only to win 0-5 in the second leg!
Why not a comeback against Sevilla...?
And it seemed to be on the way. Until the 94th minute Valencia were 3-0 up, and heading to the final. But then Sevilla scored one of those goals that should never happen. One of those goals that brings you from heaven to hell in a moment; that turns happiness into sadness; euphoria into disappointment; light into darkness...
It could have been a fine football week. Now it was only a football week. And a horrible week at that.

Liverpool on the verge

Liverpool are on the verge of doing what many at least, if not impossible, thought unlikely at the start of the season. They defeated Manchester City 3-2, and are now on first place, and it seems only Chelsea will be able to threaten them. But with their splendid form it seems, if not impossible, unlikely that Liverpool should mess it all up.

I have to add my own personal experience in this drama. On my way from Liberia to Turkey I passed through London, and went to see the aspiring champions of Liverpool play at West Ham. It was the first time I was ever at a Premier League match.

It was a fascinating experience. West Ham are a club full of traidtions, from their bubble song to their links with the legendary Bobby Moore. I enjoyed the atmosphere at the stadium, although I also found it extremely aggressive and negative. In football terms West Ham is hardly an impressive team, and plays quite primitive football. They started the match well, and it was not entirely just when Liverpool went ahead on a penalty kick by Stephen Gerrard. That said, at this time, Luis Suarez had already hit the bar. But West Ham equalized by Guy Demel in a situation where it seemed Andy Carroll fouled the goalkeeper. Andy Carroll was surely the one West Ham player who gave Liverpool trouble, but in the second half Liverpool played much better, and they fully deserved the victory. Luis Suarez hit the bar again, and they were in control. However, the winning goal was on a more controversial penalty kick, again by Stephen Gerrard, which made the home crowd much more aggressive against the away team.

In the end this was an important step for Liverpool, and I was happy I was there and may be able to say that I saw them play the first time they ever won a Premier League championship.