2nd Leg Semi-Final Extravaganza
I was rather shocked when the other Vein of Form writers suggested I do the semi-final extravaganza. Being the biggest Liverpool fan of the crew I assumed we would go for a more unbiased take on the action. Then, I remembered I launched this publication and having already conceded that doing a preview and a wrap-up for each Liverpool match was a bit much, I thought, "Why the hell not me"?
More to the point, why the hell not a 6th European crown for the Reds? The 2nd leg against Chelsea was far from the most epic football the Champions League has ever seen. But each time the ball was in either sides' box there was a fantastic amount of tension. Agger's goal from the corner kick was bent in with perfection and Drogba had the chances we all expected him to get. The Agger goal caught Chelsea off guard and they just couldn't find a way past Pepe Reina to get that elusive away goal. Steve Finnan's return to the lineup was enormous for Liverpool and Javier Mascherano played his heart out.
Going in to extra time I thought it would be unfortunate for either side to go down on penalty kicks. While I am a complete Liverpool supporter I don't have animosity towards Chelsea. Far from it. They have a great manager, great players and passionate fans. But Liverpool have just looked like the side destined to get to Athens since the beginning. And Reina's stops in the net served as a fantastic exclamation point on this Champions League campaign.
Rafa Benitez' calm stroll across the pitch after the match said it all. He just believed this was going to happen. I would contend this match was lost over the previous weekend when United took the lead against Everton and the Chelsea players' demeanor totally changed. The pain from this loss might linger a bit longer than the previous runs in the Champions League Chelsea have made in recent years.
The match in at the San Siro today was postively stunning. Not simply because AC Milan looked like the best team on the planet or that Manchester United looked like nothing more than the Coca-Cola Championship leaders. It was because of the ease the Italian side took United apart. Not 10 minutes in Kaka picked up right where he left off. This only hammered home the point that the weakened back line had zero answers for stopping him. And who would have expected Clarence Seedorf to have his best match of the past couple seasons? Hell, even Gilardino managed to get the third goal that sealed United's fate and assured Milan of a rematch against Liverpool.
VoF predicted United to go through a couple days ago and I didn't argue. I would never have believed Milan could shut them out for 90 minutes. Not with a healthy Ronaldo and Rooney on the pitch. Over the course of these two legs I think it is safe to say Kaka outplayed Ronaldo by leaps and bounds. Somehow every football fan outside of Italy forgot about Kaka's magic this season as we all focused on the corruption and violence in Italian football. And rightfully so. But now I can't help but wonder if Kaka is suddenly going to be picking up a World Player of the Year Award as Ronaldo must work to put together the pieces of his reputation that Milan chipped away during these two matches.
So, in Athens there will be a rematch of the 2005 final. Milan will be out for revenge. Liverpool will hear nothing of the past and contend they are a much stronger side and should be expected to win rather than be seen as a mere cinderalla story. The key to remember is that this match will not be played at Anfield nor will it be played at the San Siro. Therefore, the greatest advantage each club had in the semi-finals is taken away.
More to the point, why the hell not a 6th European crown for the Reds? The 2nd leg against Chelsea was far from the most epic football the Champions League has ever seen. But each time the ball was in either sides' box there was a fantastic amount of tension. Agger's goal from the corner kick was bent in with perfection and Drogba had the chances we all expected him to get. The Agger goal caught Chelsea off guard and they just couldn't find a way past Pepe Reina to get that elusive away goal. Steve Finnan's return to the lineup was enormous for Liverpool and Javier Mascherano played his heart out.
Going in to extra time I thought it would be unfortunate for either side to go down on penalty kicks. While I am a complete Liverpool supporter I don't have animosity towards Chelsea. Far from it. They have a great manager, great players and passionate fans. But Liverpool have just looked like the side destined to get to Athens since the beginning. And Reina's stops in the net served as a fantastic exclamation point on this Champions League campaign.
Rafa Benitez' calm stroll across the pitch after the match said it all. He just believed this was going to happen. I would contend this match was lost over the previous weekend when United took the lead against Everton and the Chelsea players' demeanor totally changed. The pain from this loss might linger a bit longer than the previous runs in the Champions League Chelsea have made in recent years.
The match in at the San Siro today was postively stunning. Not simply because AC Milan looked like the best team on the planet or that Manchester United looked like nothing more than the Coca-Cola Championship leaders. It was because of the ease the Italian side took United apart. Not 10 minutes in Kaka picked up right where he left off. This only hammered home the point that the weakened back line had zero answers for stopping him. And who would have expected Clarence Seedorf to have his best match of the past couple seasons? Hell, even Gilardino managed to get the third goal that sealed United's fate and assured Milan of a rematch against Liverpool.
VoF predicted United to go through a couple days ago and I didn't argue. I would never have believed Milan could shut them out for 90 minutes. Not with a healthy Ronaldo and Rooney on the pitch. Over the course of these two legs I think it is safe to say Kaka outplayed Ronaldo by leaps and bounds. Somehow every football fan outside of Italy forgot about Kaka's magic this season as we all focused on the corruption and violence in Italian football. And rightfully so. But now I can't help but wonder if Kaka is suddenly going to be picking up a World Player of the Year Award as Ronaldo must work to put together the pieces of his reputation that Milan chipped away during these two matches.
So, in Athens there will be a rematch of the 2005 final. Milan will be out for revenge. Liverpool will hear nothing of the past and contend they are a much stronger side and should be expected to win rather than be seen as a mere cinderalla story. The key to remember is that this match will not be played at Anfield nor will it be played at the San Siro. Therefore, the greatest advantage each club had in the semi-finals is taken away.
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