Sports Then and Now

Liverpool and Aston Villa played to a 2-2 tie.

Bookmakers had their hearts in their mouths when Liverpool met Aston Villa at Anfield. They were quite desperate to see one of the most famous teams of the Premier League beaten, and Liverpool definitely helped them get closer when they were held for a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa. Liverpool had a shocker of a start when Villa raced to a 2-0 advantage in the first half but recovered very well. Daniel Sturridge and Steven Gerrard made the most of the opportunities and put the ball in the goal post to secure a draw and grab a point. Daniel Sturridge was able to score a goal before half time through Henderson’s flick, and Steven Gerrard’s penalty leveled the scores after Luis Suarez was tackled by the goal keeper Brad Guzan. The draw leaves Liverpool 2 points ahead of the 5th placed Everton and a point for Villa brings them in the top half of the League, but just 6 points ahead of the relegation zone. Nevertheless, it was still an unbelievable result considering the amount of money that has been put on the Reds.

Liverpool was as short as 1-5 for victory at the start and with such a form it is extremely tough for Brendan Rodgers to lead them to next season of the Champions League. But still Rodgers said that he was confident that his side will never give up the fight and despite the comeback he will regret the dismal first half by his team which eventually led to a drop of 2 points.  It would have otherwise been an easy win at home. He added that it was vital to get that goal before half time. Read the rest of this entry →

If you are one of the five or six people who have actually read any of my other irresponsibly chimeric screeds (hi Mom, Aunt Kate), then you no doubt realize I have a peculiar fondness for the bizarre and the off beat.

I also possess a passion for the sport of soccer, which is a fortuitous thing, as the world of association football is literally overflowing with all manner of chiseling crooks, dangerous thugs, craven lunatics and twisted perverts. This means that the well of weirdness that FIFA keeps in the secret attic of a small church in southern France will never run dry, much to the satisfaction of those like myself who take great pleasure to revel in the arcana of the beautiful game.    This is something that many American fans overlook; the petty dramas of the transfer market, the vicious hatred between rivals fans, the wealth of impossible personalities and the far fetched happenings of international soccer.

Take the case of the Togolese national team. I mean, imagine you are a Togolese international, and you awake one morning, switch on your TV and see a match report from a friendly in Riffa, Bahrain that you are pretty sure never happened–at least not with the Togo team you play for. Read the rest of this entry →