I WAS treated to two football matches played three days apart across two continents that was filled with so much drama, tension, controversy, incredible goals, twists and turns that no script a writer could ever conjure.
The first was between Liverpool and Leicester City in the Carabao Cup in England last Wednesday, while the second was between Indonesia and Singapore in the second leg of the 2021 Suzuki Cup semifinals at Kallang National Stadium on Christmas Day—home field of the latter nation.
Liverpool and Leicester ended the match, 3-3, with the Reds twice coming back from two-goal deficits, to win it, 5-4 in a penalty shootout.
Indonesia survived the upset axe as they dispatched eight-man Singapore, 4-2 (5-3 on aggregate), in extra periods to return to the Suzuki Cup finals for the first time since 2010.
For the English Football League (EFL) match, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp fielded once more a nondescript squad with five youth players and three second team players against a full-strength Foxes side.
I realize how the EFL Cup is the least priority for Klopp and I understand why. The Premier and Champions League matches are the most important games. It doesn’t mean he is going to roll over and allow other teams to beat Liverpool.
Liverpool fell quickly behind two Jamie Vardy strikes in the first 15 minutes. The Foxes took advantage of Liverpool’s high line and beat them with speed and superb counter attacking.
Five minutes after Vardy’s second goal, LFC’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who has been a vital part of Klopp’s squad through the years, blasted home a shot off a Roberto Firmino assist. Liverpool had a lifeline.
Then came a James Maddison goal, a scorcher from several yards outside the box to make it 3-1, Leicester. That is the kind of “game over” goal but when Klopp began introducing some of his regulars into the game, the tide turned.
Takumi Minamino assisted Diogo Jota on a goal to bring Liverpool into one. Then in the dying seconds of extra time, a James Milner cross into the box was missed by the Leicester defender. Minamino controlled the ball with his chest then fired it to the second post past a diving Kasper Schmeichel to level matters at 3-3.
In the ensuing penalty shootout, Reds goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher saved two shots with the second atoning for Minamino’s miss from the spot (that would have allowed Liverpool to win it outright). Surprisingly, Jota, not included in the first five to take penalty kicks, came on to win it for Liverpool.
It was an incredible comeback win; one that Liverpool has become famous for over the years including late strikes. Twice down and going on to draw level with a few seconds left in the game. And this win was some but of good news after the disappointing draw with Tottenham a few days earlier.
It says something about the way Klopp has transformed this club. There is this belief that they can get the job done no matter what the odds.
And that is something Singapore nearly pulled off.
If the Liverpool-Leicester match was a completed comeback, the Singapore-Indonesia game was…helter skelter football.
Indonesia’s Ezra Walian took advantage of the confusion in Singapore’s box to score early, 1-nil in the 11thminute.
In extra time in the first half, Safuwan Baharudin was sent off after tussling with Indonesia’s Rizky Ridho. While Safuwan was provoked, he lost his head. You have a yellow card and you go on to bump your opponent. He was sent off.
Immediately after that, Singapore’s Ui-young scored off a free kick when Indonesia was unable to clear the ball; 1-1.
In the 67th minute, Irfan Fandi was also sent off for a poor tackle on Irfan Jaya who was in a goal scoring position. Indonesia was unable to capitalize on nine-man Singapore and the free kick. Instead, it was the Lions’ Shahdan Sulaiman who scored on a brilliant free kick in the 74th minute that I thought Merah Putih keeper Nadeo Argawinata should have saved. That has to be one of the goals of the tournament.
Think of that…each time Singapore lost a player, they scored.
Sulaiman almost scored on another free kick in the 78th minute but this time, Nadeo was up to the task.
With Indonesia perilously close to losing the game in spite of the man advantage, they equalized in 87th minute when Pratama Arhan scored off a rebound attempt. Arhan was actually offside but the linesman missed the infraction; one of many calls that hurt Singapore.
The Lions shot themselves on the foot as the red cards were all correct, but the missed offside…now that was bad.
What made it worse was Singapore’s Faris Ramli missing a penalty shot a minute later that could have given the Lions’ a storybook ending. Instead, it went to extra time where an own goal did in the Lions. A fourth goal was scored to practically end it but not before Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny was also sent off for a reckless tackle.
Defender Irfan Fandi took over from Sunny at the goal and saved a shot on goal. The Singaporean crowd—credit them—roared. They never left even after the fourth goal by Indonesia. And when it was all done with the Merah Putih moving on to the finals, what I loved in the end was seeing the Indonesian players consoling Ramli who could have been the hero of the game.
The two games had everything—drama, tension, controversy, incredible goals, twists and turns that no script writer could ever conjure.
And that is why it is called, “the Beautiful Game.”