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I watched The Reds played at Anfield for the first time last Tuesday. I could not make it more dramatic because everything that involves Liverpool is dramatic. Thanks to Dedust, some stranger I picked up as great friend at Banting, who agreed to share his birthday present with me.
Liverpool vs Lyon, Champions League, the league that requires your team to break into top four of English Premier League to play in. That is if your team is based in England. Don't worry if you don't know this, maybe because you are a girl, ouch.
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It was something special, to be part of Liverpool worst ever consecutive losses in many years, and everyone was quick to point out my presence at Anfield was the reason of the shambles (the same way my attendance at Riverside Stadium last year was noted, resulting in relegation of both teams I saw playing).
Superstition aside, Rafa Benitez was another man on the highlight, and the main reason of him being coy about what happened might be the same reason he won Liverpool the Champions League for the first time in many years: he sees what others don't.
I want to believe in that. It is understandable that Stevie's substitution in the early hour of the game might add fuel to the fire (given that those girls from Old Trafford are coming over on Sunday), but subbing Yossi Benayoun for employing a defensive Fabio Aurelio is a bad deal in a game we need to score more than one goal to win.
It was in no hesitation when I joined the crowd jeering at Rafa's ungodly decision. Soon I regret: he sees what others don't.
Riverside Stadium and Old Trafford failed to impress me albeit their Red-dish facade and the funny accented Scouser who was sitting next to me would agree especially when he sang You'll Never Walk Alone with Liverpool scarf held aloft in unison with few other thousands of The Kop, and of course few other songs I don't have a clue.
But the great and iconic ambiance of legendary British football experience Anfield had for the fans was not enough to convince Lucas to be a Brazilian and N'gog to be more decent to play for a world class team. Unknown youth Martin Kelly however was in fact more deserving of million pound worth of contract, looking at how calm and matured he fared.
It was sad to see Stevie walked away midway through the first half, and to make it worse, handed the armband to Jamie Carragher. But ignorance kills, as observations would see Jamie Carragher did well as a captain, and did well organizing the defence especially in the presence of junior Kelly whom he could pick on.
I think everyone would agree that good leadership is not enough for good results, because at the end of the day, it was Lyon who stood tall.
Delgado arrived at the far post and turn in a goal, and Liverpool's Champions League ambitions are as good as Malaysia's Vision 2020.
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Transportation was a bit bitchy. Busses were full and we had to walk for an hour and compete with thirsty Scousers to get a taxi.
It was not a good night empirically.
But for a Malaysian boy who flew thousand miles away to see his heroes playing right in front of his eyes after countless hours of watching them play from kedai mamak and to live a dream of many Malaysian boys, it was a helluva night.
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This post is dedicated to Izwan Ismail, Abdul Mualim Shah, Shamsul Azhar, Ahmad Nurhaziq, Amirul Hafidz, Muhammad Faisol, Zulhisyam Zarwawi, Muhd Abu Huzaifah, Muhammad Fitri, Azlifaizal Latip and of course, Khairul 'Dedust' Izwan.
And that is what I call dramatic.
