dangg. liverpool crashed out of the champs league this morning. =( and like any other occasions they did so, i cried my heart out at the end of the match. -__-
on the bright side, fernando torres did score for liv after dider drogba had put the host in front with a first-half strike. ( im not being sore here, but kalou was obviously offside when he received the ball. thus the goal should not have stood. it was that simple. ) but seemed that the linesman had other ideas and so did not raise his flag. nonetheless, liverpool now had the away goal they so really needed after torres made it level. :)) but just when i thought all was going well, ( liverpool were playing well mind you ) a careless tackle by hyypia on michael ballack just inside the penalty area, in extra time, proved to do the damage. chelsea were given a penalty which frank lampard blasted home whilst sending reina to dive the wrong way. and while it was still possible to at least clinch a draw, a third goal from drogba just before the end of first-half extra-time left liverpool with a montain to climb.
needing to score at least two more goals in the next fifteen minutes without conceeding, liverpool's plight worsened when 1) they were a denied a penalty when hyypia was fouled inside the penalty box, and 2) torres was taken off with a hamstring injury. :( in came ryan babel, and i've got to say ; he did a decent job pressurising the chelsea back four. the reward came in the 117th minute, when babel scored a spectacular long-range goal which petr cech failed to save. however, its a case of too little too late for liv as there were only around 3 more minutes to play for. final score: chelsea 3 liverpool 2.
and thus, after more than 180 minutes of football over the two-legs, chelsea just about managed to edged out liverpool and book their ticket to moscow with a 4-3 aggregate win. it was impossible not to be disappointed but at least i'll congratulate chelsea for earning their victory. it was a close call. too close really. first half was dominated by the host. yet liv stepped up their game and came back in the second half. the extra-time was the decider and a slight error by liverpool's defense gave chelsea the lead again. now one would think; if only riise had not given chelsea the goal at anfield, would the results differ? i don't know. but this is liverpool; we win together, lose together. :)
the reason im proud to be the reds' fan is not simply bacause of players like gerrard or torres, its the determination of the team as a whole. this team never knows when to give up. even when trailing 3-1 behind, you could still see the spirit of each player trying to score the next goal. its just a shame torres had to watch from the sidelines the final few minutes. he could really have made a positive impact had he stayed on. and the disappointment in his eyes as he helplessly watch his team fighting for their lives on the pitch was apparent. i felt the pain. really.
that said, fernando can walk with his head held high. he's done more than what was expected of him since his arrival, perhaps more. and the reason liverpool had gone this far and secured next season's place in the champs league is more often than not down to the important goals he's scored over the season and the blossoming partnership between him and inspirational captain steven gerrard. 31 goals for a striker in his first season, on a foreign land, is not something just anyone can achieve. but torres had done it. and he's done it with talent and humility. now if that isn't enough proof of a quality striker, then you tell me what is. all i can say for now is;
watch out for him next season. there's more to come, from torres. and liverpool. =))
ps: it's always times like these when i think of you and i wonder if you ever think of me.
