96 balloons & Liverpool 1 - Man Utd 2

The rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool FCs is considered one of the fiercest rivalries in football. It was briefly put aside before kickoff at Anfield as players and fans from both clubs paid a tribute to the 96 killed in the Hillsborough tragedy of 1989. More on the tribute to follow..

Robin van Persie’s late penalty earned Manchester United a fortunate 2-1 victory against 10-man Liverpool in an emotionally-charged Premier League clash at Anfield.

Here, Manchester United's Robin Van Persie celebrates scoring a penalty against Liverpool - REUTERS/Phil Noble

Source: The Star

Back to the tribute..

The 1989 Hillsborough disaster was a human crush which occurred during the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest football clubs on 15 April 1989 at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England. The crush resulted in the deaths of 96 people and injuries to 766 others. The disaster remains the worst stadium-related disaster in British history and one of the world's worst football disasters. - Wikipedia

Liverpool fans were blamed for the tragedy but an independent report published this month revealed that the disaster was caused by a breakdown in crowd management.

At Anfield yesterday, the crowd held up white and red cards spelling out "TRUTH" and "JUSTICE" as the players walked out on to the pitch in tracksuits emblazoned on the back with 96.

Opposing captains Gerrard and Giggs released 96 balloons into the Merseyside sky and the anthem "You’ll Never Walk Alone" reverberated around the stadium with added emotion.

Even the race row between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra was finally put to bed as they shook hands before kickoff.


United have not won at Anfield since 2007. This win moved Man United up to number 2 spot below Chelsea. And in a later match, Manchester City drew 1-1 with Arsenal. Yes, oh yes!!

Here's the current EPL standing..Click on image to enlarge

Source: Premierleague


Sources:
- The Star: Van Persie’s late penalty sinks Liverpool
- Pics: Tributes paid at Anfield
- Premier League current standings
- Wikipedia - Hillsborough disaster

Recreational hazard from football

Getting injured at work is one thing and probably unavoidable, brushed off as occupational hazard. What about getting injured at play? Certainly no fun at all.

A colleague is again hobbling around the office in a leg brace (Corflex brand, I think I saw) having sustained the injury in a football match over the weekend. We are all used to him in this condition by now as he has been injured far too many times. He's in one of the KL football leagues, which explains his numerous misadventures. Poor chap!

Talk about football, it was a harrowing experience watching Manchester United's last match with Southampton. Glad it was 3-2 to MU's advantage. MU is now at #5 below Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion, Swansea City and Chelsea FC on top with 9 points having not lost any game so far.

Chelsea FC are the new Champions of Europe - Winner of UEFA Champions League

Source: uefa.com
Didier Drogba did it for Chelsea, putting in the winning penalty that made history for Chelsea FC, the new Champions of Europe. They beat Bayern Munich 4-3 on penalties in the German team's Allianz Arena stadium to be crowned European Champions for the first time on Saturday.

There is a new name on the UEFA Champions League trophy after Chelsea FC's victory against FC Bayern München made them the first maiden winners since Borussia Dortmund in 1997. More..Chelsea etch new name on trophy

Source: The Star


In the homefront, Kelantan FC beat Sime Darby FC in the Malaysia FA Cup finals at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil Stadium.

Mohammed Ghaddar Mahmoud was the hero for the Red Warriors, making good a penalty kick in the 58th minute. Kelantan had previously lost in the 2009 and 2011 finals.

Source: The Star

UEFA Champions League Final - Chelsea FC vs Bayern Munich FC

If you had put your money on Barca and Madrid playing in the Champions League final, you would have lost it.

So, it's Chelsea FC and Bayern Munich through to the Champions League final to be played at the Allianz Arena.

Barcelona 2, Chelsea 2 (2-3 on aggregate)

Source

Real Madrid - FC Bayern München 3:4

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's penalty shootout saves secured Bayern Munich a Champions League final against Chelsea in their own Allianz Arena after the German side ended Real Madrid's bid for a 10th European crown on Wednesday.Source

Meanwhile the Champions League trophy has arrived in Munich, the Allianz Arena being the venue of the finals on May 19. Both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies were placed in the city authorities’ care in the ceremony at the historic Old Town Hall on Marienplatz at 4 pm.

UEFA President Michel Platini handed the famous men’s cup to mayor of Munich Christian Ude, with the women’s cup presented to Christine Stroble, the mayor of Munich for sport.Source

Source

Who are you rooting for to win the 2012 UEFA Champions League crown? Chelsea FC or Bayern Munich FC?

John Terry removed as England captain

John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy, the English FA said on Friday.

The 31-year-old Chelsea centre back is awaiting trial after pleading not guilty on Wednesday to a charge of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match at Loftus Road in October.
More.. The Star..John Terry stripped of England captaincy

He will also be ruled out when Man United visits and probably next weekend’s match at Everton too with a knee injury.


Malaysia would do well to take a lesson from the English FA - remove people who are bent on stirring racial disharmony in the country. Oops! We'd then be left without so many sh*t-stirrers and more fresh air.. I wish!

Chelsea FC completes the EPL Asian Tour circuit in Malaysia

Chelsea FC autograph-signing session at a shopping mall

Soccer fans are a lucky lot here in Malaysia. We are fortunate enough to get to watch on television live telecasts of the popular English Premier League (EPL) games. Don't have satellite tv? Not a problem. Almost all mamak tea-stalls by the roadside or in shops/restaurants have this facility and most of them are even open 24/7. These places are where people hang out to watch EPL games at the same time enjoying a meal of roti canai or naan bread with a glass of the popular pulled-tea (teh tarik). Even though there may be satellite tv at home, some fans like to watch the game with other fans, albeit total strangers.

Summer in England means a few of the EPL teams go on an Asian tour circuit. This year, Liverpool FC was here for the first time. They just played their game (to a stadium of roughly 80,000 spectators) last Saturday with a scoreline of 6-3 defeating a Malaysian side that did better than when they played Arsenal earlier. 4-0 is the scoreline for the Arsenal game. Chelsea FC will be playing this evening in which a friend will be watching it at the Bukit Jalil national stadium. I hope the weather stays good seeing that it is overcast right now.

No Manchester United team appearance here this year. They are doing a U.S. tour for a change.

Like I said, Malaysians are lucky to be able to watch these worldclass football teams play, live on television let alone have them bring their game here to Malaysian soil. Fans being fans, they will travel miles to see their favorite team play such as this group of 15 Chelsea die-hard fans from Yangon, Myanmar.

Here, they are seen arriving at the KL International Airport (KLIA).

They were here to watch the friendly match between The Blues against the Malaysian Olympic squad at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Thursday. Another group of 32 Blues fans from Myanmar would be arriving tomorrow, to watch the match, the group leader said.


Image source: The Star