The ultimate European night of football

Chelsea-Liverpool (UEFA 14 Mar 2009)

The clash between the 'Blues' and 'The Reds' has always given spectators full value for their money and Wednesday's match between thee two clubs was no exception. Liverpool were in Red hot form,scoring more than a couple of goals in recent matches with absolute ease. Chelsea with their new manager Guus Hiddink were upbeat, their key players Drogba and Ballack feeling a lot more comfortable under him. Liverpool went into the game with a lot of confidence, they faced an uphill task of scoring 3 or more goals at Stamford Bridge to survive the competition. Chelsea were sitting comfortably having scored 3 crucial away goals at Anfield last week.

The first half started with the usual rituals with both captains exchanging their respective club's flag and posing for the photo-shoot. Liverpool started off in the most aggressive manner, creating space for themselves and putting Chelsea in the backfoot. Rafa picked up a side which everyone thought was not good enough to compete with Chelsea but he (Rafa) once again proved that he was a tactical genius. Liverpool were without their local hero Steven Gerrard. The manner in which Liverpool were taking the game to Chelsea was commendable and it was only a matter of time when Liverpool would find the back of the net. Nineteen minutes had passed when Liverpool got a free-kick about 30-40 yards from goal. Fabio Aurelio stepped up to take the freekick, his teammates anxiously waiting at the far post to receive the ball and head it in. Aurelio has always thought of innovative ways to take a free-kick and this time he found the Chelsea goalie hovering near the far post and cheekily curled the ball into the near post and into the goal. Stamford bridge was stunned,Petr Cech puzzled and Aurelio celebrating. Liverpool were 1-0 up, one third of the task completed. Chelsea could still not find their rhythm and were struggling to get the ball anywhere near their goal. Ten minutes had passed since Aurelio had scored the first goal; Skrtel failing to slot the ball into the net from the six yard box but to everyones astonishment Liverpool were awarded a Spot kick. This time the culprit was Ivanovich, he wrapping his arms completely around Alonso and bringing him down inside the box. Alonso stepped up to take the penalty and sent Petr Cech the wrong way,giving Liverpool 2-0 lead before half time. The Scousers(Liverpool fans) were in cloud nine,celebrating their team's awesome two goals. Chelsea were shell shocked. Both teams went into half time with Liverpool brimming with confidence. Chelsea made a change just before half time,bringing inAnelka (former Liverpool) and taking out Kalou.

The second half began with Liverpool pressing for that vital third away goal, bringing their defenders too in the front. Chelsea must have received a dose of inspiration from their manager during the break,they scored the first goal of the second half within 10 minutes from the start,Anelka passing the ball to Drogba ;who got the faintest of the flicks and took Reina by surprise. Reina ultimately spilled the ball into the Chelsea goal. Chelsea were now revived but this didn't matter for Liverpool as they still had to score the third goal to move to the next stage of the competition. Liverpool pressed harder for the third goal but of no avail. Chelsea received a free kick and it was drilled in with force by the Brazilian Alex, taking Chelsea level with Liverpool on the score line. Things became worse for Liverpool when Lampard scored the third goal for Chelsea,completely turning the game in their favour and making Liverpool's task almost impossible. Stamford Bridge which remained silent in the first half were making one hellva a noise.

Football is a crazy game and things quickly turn either way. It requires just a couple of good passes,smart crossings,tactical switches between the players and some luck to win the game. Just when the fans were writing off Liverpool,they came back from the dead in the most amazing manner. Liverpool have scored late goals umteen number of times this season and this match was no exception. Lucas Lieva struck the ball hard, it scrapping Essien's arm before getting into the back of the net. Cech could do nothing as it was a wicked deflection. Couple of minutes after the goal from Lucas,Kuyt headed the ball in from a superb cross from the Spaniard Reira. Liverpool were now 4-3 up and needed just one goal to win the match. Seven minutes remained for Liverpool to complete the task and move to the next stage of the competition. But it was destined that Chelsea should go through,Lampard slotting the ball in for a fourth goal for Chelsea and the second for him. The score was tied at 4-4 and Chelsea move to the semis based on a 7-5 aggregate. Had Liverpool won the match 5-3 it would have been the most dramatic and enthralling comebacks in UEFA history. Never mind Liverpool did their best and entertained their fans to the fullest. They went down fighting and can be proud of themselves.

Liverpool, you are great!!!

Liverpool hammers down Villa ( 22 Mar 2009)

Both Manchester United and Chelsea dropped valuable points on Saturday, losing their respective fixtures and there by giving some room for Liverpool to take advantage of their loses and close the gap with ManU. Liverpool took on Aston Villa at Anfield on Sunday and winning this match would heat up the race for the Premier League Trophy. Villa who are desperate to secure a Champions League spot this season had to take complete 3 points from the game because only a win would ensure that they close the gap on Arsenal.

Liverpool Manager Rafa Benitez had put out a very strong Liverpool squad,with Torres leading upfront. Rafa Benitez had also signed a new 5 year contract with 'The Reds',saying that his heart was with Liverpool. Both teams emerged from the narrow tunnel at Anfield, the Liverpool players touching the "This is Anfield" logo posted just before the entrance. Gareth Barry led Villa,adorning the captains arm-band and the whole of Villa squad in their blue away kits. The first half was an absolute cracker. Liverpool got their first goal in the first 20 minutes. Steve Gee's free kick was flicked (by head)by Alonso, the ball then struck the woodwork and bounced in front of Kuyt,who smashed the ball right into the bottom corner of the net,giving Liverpool an early lead and affecting Villa psychologically. Villa threatened to equalise when Carew flicked the ball but Reina's reflexes were superb,thereby denying Carew the goal. Liverpool would have gone up 2-0 in the next couple of minutes when Reira's cross was put just wide by Steve Gee. Liverpool were hungry for more goals and after their recent successes with Real Madrid and ManU, scoring 4 goals in each match they were in no mood to settle for just one goal. Reina goal kick which bounced a couple of yards before the Villa goal box was superbly controlled by Reira and smashed into the top corner,giving Brad Friedel no chance to make a save. Kudos to Reira as he took the kick with great control even when he was under tremendous pressure from the Villa defender Luke Young. Liverpool now were 2-0 up, adding more salt to ManU's wounds. Just before half time Liverpool got an opportunity to make it 3-0 when Riera was fouled inside the box by Reo Coker who was playing the right back position for Villa,not the position he normally plays. Captain courageous stepped up to take the spot kick. Steve Gee had previously converted penalties successfully against Manu and Real Madrid. In this match also he made no mistake, putting aside any chances of Villa bouncing back into the game. Both the teams went into half time with Liverpool leading the way with 3 goals.

The second half started with Liverpool doing the kick-off. Liverpool were passing the ball with much ease and confidence and keeping the lion's share of the possession. Villa's Barry and Ashley Young tried hard to salvage something in the first ten minutes of the second half but of no avail. Liverpool got a free kick just outside the box, Captain courageous stepping up to take it. The pace with which the ball was drilled into the bottom corner was so much that Brad Friedel couldn't stop it. Liverpool now were leading Villa by 4 goals to nil. Steve Gee also had a great chance to get his hat-trick if Rafa didn't substitute him. Rafa could ahve easily substituted his top players after the first half and still could have won the match but he thought otherwise. The final nail in the coffin was drilled when Torres was thought to be pulled down by Brad Friedel inside the box but Torres actually tripped over Friedel's shoulder and fell. A penalty kick was awarded but to add to Villa's misery Friedel was shown a straight red card. Villa were shell shocked by this decision. This is an example when things go wrong for you through out the game. Gerrard stepped up to take the penalty and slotted the ball past the goal keeper, the goal keeper falling on the other side. Gerrard thus got his hat-trick this season. he has now scored 30 goals in all competitions this season.

The stadium was chanting the Liverpool Anthem, pumping spirit into the players and giving them confidence that this year they could go all the way to win the Premiere league. Liverpool won comprehensively and closed the gap on ManU to just 1 point but ManU still have a game in hand. The title race this season could go either way. Will Liverpool's wait for 18 years finally pay off? Only time will tell this.

Go Liverpool!!!

Reds crush The Red Devils ( 14 Mar 2009 )

The clash between Liverpool and Manchester United has always been the much awaited game of the season and this season was no different,infact weekend's clash between the giants of English football was a very crucial one because the title race would still be on if Liverpool defeat ManU. The Reds travelled all the way to Old Trafford for the lunch time kick-off. The stadium was packed to its full capacity as always it has been. Liverpool were dressed in their grey away kits. Both the teams were successful during the mid-week, winning their respective Champions League game comfortably. ManU were particularly in top form,not losing or dropping points in the domestic league where as Liverpool ceded their No.1 spot to their bitter rivals after a series of games where they drew and thereby dropping valuable points.



The first half began well, 'The Reds' making a last minute change to their squad. Arbeloa being taken off and Hyppia being brought in instead. ManU had the home advantage of winning the game and steering away from Liverpool with a clean 10 point lead. Both teams attacked the opponents territory but none of the attacks were good enough to find the back of the net until the 23rd minute. ManU drew first blood when Ji Sung Park tripped after colliding with Reina and the referee gave ManU a spot kick. Reina didn't pull Park but the momemtum took him all the way down to collide with Park which the referee mistook for puling down the ManU midfielder. Liverpools's hopes plunged after this first goal from The Red Devils but they didn't lose heart. A mistake by Vidic, who instead of heading the ball and clearing it away allowed it to bounce and roll over. Fernando Torred beat him for the ball with his pace and nicely slotting it past Van der Sar into the net, bringing Liverpool back into the game. Cristiano Ronaldo testted Reina with a couple of free kicks but the Liverpool goalie was determined not to allow any more goals. A few minutes before half time captain courageous came into the act, running for the ball passed to him from Torres before being fouled by Patrice Evra inside the box. This earned Liverpool a penalty kick and giving tem a chance to take the lead. Steve Gee made no mistake in converting the spot kick and taking Liverpool into the lead. Thus Liverpool created a psychic feeling into Manu before both teams went into the tunnel after the first half.



The seond half began with much more aggression from ManU,whose pride was at stake,losing to Liverpool in their home soil. They pressed harder for an equaliser but of no avail. Liverpool was still leading till 70 minutes were over when a major incident happened. Vidic pulled down Gerrard before the box,thereby getting himself sent off by the referee. This was a repeat performance of the first leg between the two teams, Vidic being sent off in that match too for a wild header tackle with Alonso. The free kick then awarded to Liverpool was brilliantly converted by Aurelio, leaving Van der Sar stunned as he saw the ball zoom past the goal line and into the net. Liverpool now were 3-1 up and in a very comfortable position. Sir Alex made all three substitutions at the same time,bringing on Scholes, Giggs and Berbatov. ManU tried harder with their experienced players to salvage something from the game but Liverpool's defence was rock solid,denying them any opportunity to score. The icing on the cake was when Dossena, who was much critised for his form slotted in a fouth goal to hurt ManU's feelings and sealed the game completely for the visitors. Liverpool now are just 4 points behind ManU, still alive in the race for the Domestic league trophy.



Go Liverpool!!!

"Women- without whom the world would boring"

Today 8 March is celebrated as International Women's Day through the world. On this special day I thought like writing something about women and their role in society in particular. Women, without whom man's existence is worthless in this planet ( Male Chauvenists please back off ). Women, the fairer sex in the society are considered the weaker sex too, but in today's world the above mentioned phrase holds little water. Today's generation, the GenY ( not sure of the latest term in vogue) is hungry for excitement,adventure and looks to break rules, of course to get things done in a different way and not follow the old fashioned way where things moved at a snail's pace. The present generation girls are much bolder, stronger and have the zest in them to do whatever a boy does. This is in fact true as can be seen in the myriad of roles handled by girls ( Women) in the society. They are fearless, zoom past in automatic scooters ( some bolder ones even in motor-cycles) and are not scared to do things alone. Unlike the girls of the previous generation where going out alone was taboo in most of the homes present generation girls have their own freedom and they really enjoy it.

Today the world is progressing at a very fast pace, the gender divide slowly fading away but still prelavent in many faces and that too some of them are really ugly. There is bias against women at workplace,they being paid less than their male counterparts for the same type of job. Women today are still subjected to domestic violence, rape and female foeticide . All this brings forth the dark side of the human race which just shows our weakness. History had given us powerful women like Jhansi ki Rani ( Lakshmi Bai) who fought with valour against the British during the first outbreak in 1857. We then have Cleopatra, the beautiful Egyptian Queen whose beauty would put the strongest of the men in a deep trance. Then we have Helen, the Princess of Troy because of whom a deadly war was was fought and Troy was brought down to rumbles. In the current generation we have some extremely powerful women to whom we must really look up. First of all Medha Patkar, the spearhead Queen in the Narmada Bachao Andolan without whose determination the dam project would have gone ahead, affecting millions of villages and the environment. Next we have Sonia Gandhi,Chairperson of the UPA. We must really salute this lady as she has taken her husband's vision to new levels and is constantly striving to build a stronger India. Last but not the least we must not forget our Mothers without whom we would not be what we are and we would not be where we are today. It was she who guided us right from the time when we were in her womb to our present state. It was she who gave us the courage during our troubled times, infusing us with new spirit day in and day out. Mom, Amma, Aaai, Mother; we give call her by different names but the meaning is the same- Salute to you Dear Mom.

One thing gets clearer day in & day out that unless women rise in the society, the society as a whole cannot get an uplift. We need to treat our fairer sex without any bias, joining hands with them and not secluding them away to build an Utopian society which we dream of. Women need to be given more power and responsibilities in all departments of the society. Imagine having more women in the combat troops than just posting them as nurses in the armed forces, world peace could then soon beocme a reality. Imagine having more women politicians, communal riots and dirty practices would definitely be on the decline. Imagine having more women handling finances, the current Economic crisis could have been prevented. Imagine having more women drivers on the road, there will definitely be less accidents happening. We hear of girls topping exams every year, securing higher percentages than boys but what happens to these bright flowers after that? they go into oblivion, some due to family pressures, some due to poverty and others suppressed by society. We ( both men and women) need to break these shackles and let the women power unleash so that we can strive for a better tommorow.

SALUTE TO ALL THE WOMEN - GO AND CONQUER THE WORLD

Real Madrid vs Liverpool ( 25 Feb 2009)

Champions League matches always calls for higher quality of football from all clubs to stay alive in the competition. Teams must show absolute resilience and pure character to win or manage a draw in their matches because in football the inevitable is always possible.

Wednesday night's game took us to Santiago Bernabe'u, Real Madrid's home ground where they faced Liverpool. Both the Spanish side and the English side were 7 points behind the league leaders in their respective groups, but Real Madrid were in top form of late which added onto their advantage of playing at home to win the game. But Liverpool have done exceptionally well especially in the Champions League matches. The match started with the usual procedure of the captains exchanging their respective club's flags and the photo session. 'The Reds' were led by their local boy Carragher as captain courageous Steve Gee was not yet 100% fit to start and Rafa did not want to risk playing Steve Gee and getting him injured because Liverpool have to face their bitter rivals ManU on 14 march. Liverpool started with lone striker Torres and five midfielders. Real Madrid's defender, Pepe had vouched before the game to mark Torres continuously and to physically tussle him out. The fun part was the match was played in Spain against a Spanish team , the English team having more Spanish players than Real Madrid ( which had nearly 7 Dutch players in their team). The first half went quite well, both the teams showing the urge to win the ball from one another and keeping possession. Torres had a wonderful opportunity of taking Liverpool in front but was denied by Cassilas. The Liverpool defence was strong enough to prevent Raul from taking any advantage and slotting the ball into the net. Higuine and Robben threatened Liverpool a couple of times, Higuine striking the side netting and Robben hitting the ball just over the cross bar. Both teams went into the half time with the score 0-0.

The second half was getting hotter by each minute, Liverpool showing the urge to get the crucial away goal. Let me explain why the away goal matters so much. if a certain team scores a 2-1 victory over another team on foreign soil but lose with them 0-1 on home soil, the team which scored away goals marches on to the next round because they showed more quality by beating the opponent away from home, with not much of fan support. Now coming back to the match, Real Madrid's Left back Heinze gave a free kick to liverpool about 32 m from goal in the 82nd minute. Fabio Aurelio the left footer curled the ball into the 6 yard box where Israeli midfielder and playmaker Benayoun headed the ball into the net and taking Liverpool ahead. Surprisingly the Spanish team was not marking him, Higuine who was in front of Benayoun did not budge to clear the ball, giving Benayoun a free unmarked header. The whole stadium was stunned when Liverpool scored ( barring the travelling English fans) and a deadly silence fell over for a couple of minutes. Madrid tried hard getting back in the game but with Liverpool's strong defence and sheer determination to win the game they held Madrid from scoring any.

It was a wondeful night for the Scousers and Liverpool go into the second leg with greater confidence,Steve Gee will be joining the side to play Madrid at Anfield. If Liverpool make it to the next round it will be totally 14 times they would have reached this stage in this competition and 4 times out of 5 under Rafa. CHEERS LIVERPOOL!!!

Liverpool - Chelsea (1 Feb 2009)

The race for the title is still on, with the top three teams constantly swapping places in the Barclay's Premier League. Unlike the last season where ManU clearly took the lead at the top of the table after a poor show by the 'Gunners' in the second half of the season, this season holds more promise for any of the five clubs to win the title. Aston Villa being the fifth team other than the Big Four in the title race.

Liverpool's new year didn't not kick off well as they drew all their games in January, slipping vital 8 points and giving rivals ManU a clear chance to go for the hat rick . Sunday's match against Chelsea was crucial for both the Reds and the Blues because they along with Aston Villa were locked at 48 points in the table and only a win for either team would them on heels of Manchester United. Liverpool did not have their expensive buy Robbie Keane even on their bench after he not being able to prove himself for the Reds.Chelsea had their start striker Drogba on the bench, increasing the speculation that things were indeed cross between himself and Scolari. The first half of the match was evenly poised, both teams having a good share of the ball possession. But Petr Cech looked the busier of the two goal keepers. Liverpool had a couple of chances though not juicy ones but some superb defending from Terry and Alex prevented the ball being at the back of the net. The first half saw two bookings with Mascherano and Ashley Cole both receiving yellow cards for the harsh tackles they made. Both teams went into half time with the score 0-0.

The second half had lots instore for the fans, filled with drama and action. Liverpool's Xabi Alonso was booked in the 46th minute for his challenge. More drama unfolded after the hour mark had crossed. Lampard was shown a straight red for a challenge mistaken to be a harsh one by referee Mike Raily. lampard had clearly got to the ball first and Alonso had tripped over Lampard's raised legs which was mistaken by the referee. lampard was in absolute shock over this decision,indeed a poor one by the referee. In crucial games like this a bad decision like this could put you in the back seat even when you are playing well. The game continued with Chelsea's 10 man team showing good resilience, vying to snatch off a win or at least a point at Anfield. Captain Courageous ( Steve Gee) was booked for a dive inside the penalty box in the 70th minute of the game. The match seemed heading for a draw until Torres stepped up to score Liverpool's first goal at home, ending his drought at Anfield this season with style. He doubled Liverpool's lead the very next minute when a mistake by Ashley Cole proved costly and Torres was given the ball to slot in the net by playmaker Yossi Benayoun. Liverpool now are at 51 points, 2 points behind the league leaders for the moment ManU.

Go Liverpool, You can win the TITLE !

The 44 hour Train journey by RAJDHANI EXPRESS

Myself and my colleague took the 'Rajdhani Express' bound for Delhi from Chennai on the 11th of Jan 2009. I reached the station ( Chennai Central ) half an hour before the scheduled departure of the train which was at 6:10 am. I was in coach A2 and my colleague in A3. The train journey started off smoothly, with the train moving from Chennai Central at the right time,picking up speed and reaching the next stations on time. At Rajdhani we get free food & snacks ( actually the cost of it is included in the 2700 buck ticket itself). I refrained from having lunch or dinner at Rajdhani because the subzi they provide is watery and rice hard to chew. The other reason is; I fell sick the first time I travelled by Rajdhani, was diagnosed with typhoid and was laid down for 2 whole weeks.

The train was right on time at Vijayawada, Warangal,Balharshah. Things went on smoothly until the inevitable happened. A Goods train had derailed after Bhopal station, blocking the train traffic going North completely. Our train also reached Nagpur at the intended time, 20:30 hrs,after that I had my dinner ( Roti & Kesari) which I got packed from home prepared by my sweet Mom. I dozed off after my dinner, thinking about the work to be done the next day regarding my project and calclulating the amount the taxi wala would charge for the trip from Delhi to Alwar. My eyes took a sneak outside the window at 5:45 the next morning and I could sense that the train was not moving, waiting at a station which I didn't bother to note. Thirty five minutes passed,I took a peek outside the window to see the train still stranded at the same place. I started getting worried and got up, brushed my teeth and got off the train to relax my cramped leg muscles, giving myself some exercise. I learnt from my co-passengers that a Goods train had derailed outsdie Bhopal and the train was running 9 hrs late. My reaction was Holy Moly! how am I going to get to Alwar on time? I walked up to the Engine, peeked inside it,taking in the details of the controls,gears etc. I asked the engine driver as to how much time would it take from here to Delhi? He replied that we were at Itarsi ( a station where Rajdhani doesn't stop) and it would take atleast 10 more hrs to reach Delhi. Disapointed I walked back to my coach. To my surprise the train started to pull of from Itarsi at 7:00, I was happy that were back on track but the train was put on hold for more than 8 hrs on some small station before Bhopal.

My patience was running out, I got off the train,pacing up and down, going to the engine, standing in front of it,pushing it to go and praying to GOD please why is this happening? I learnt later that the electric engine which was driving the train had failed and a coal powered engine was despatched from Bhopal to replace it. The coal powered engine came, I saw how an engine attaches with the bogies and went back thrilled to my coach thinking our problems are resolved only to find later that the train was still not moving. I was confused and puzzled at the same time. I came to know from my fellow travellers that the coal powered engine didn't have enough power to pull the entire train. So another diesel powered engine was despatched from Bhopal. Finally we started moving and reached Bhopal at 1700 hrs ( 15hrs behind scheduled arrival) on 12 Jan . I must really appreciate the Rajdhani coach attendants for they took good care of us, providing us timely meals and snacks even though they couldn't relenish their stock.

The train finally reached Nizammudin at 2:00 on 13th. It was chilling outside. We got off the train and walked out of the rear side of the station only to find the hotel I was looking for was nowhere in sight. We had the option of travelling to Alwar in the wee hours of the cold morning or staying the night at Delhi and leaving for Alwar at 7:00 in the morning. We chose the later over a cup of tea at a local tea stand outside Nizammudin at 2:15 in the morning. We checked into a guest house called Rajdhani ( coincidence and identical with the train name), rattling the guest house door and such an odd time. Finally we dozed off on the bed and left for Alwar at 7:30 on 13th morning which was cold and foggy, hampering the taxi's normal highway speed.