Scott Murray's Blog, page 62
February 17, 2022
The Fiver | Rangers continue their quest for Uefa’s secondary jug
Back in 2008, the Pope’s O’Rangers got to the final of Big Vase with a team spearheaded by Jean-Claude Darcheville. The centre of their defence was marshalled by David Weir, 83. To his right, ladies and gentlemen, Mr Kirk Broadfoot, breathing heavily, brow furrowed, a confused look spreading across his coupon. The late and lamented Walter Smith achieved many great things during a life less ordinary, but taking that team to a major Uefa showpiece occasion was arguably his most outrageous achievement of all. Sheer alchemy, multiplied by chutzpah on the end of a stick. Gotta love Walter.
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February 16, 2022
Internazionale 0-2 Liverpool: Champions League last 16 first leg – as it happened
Liverpool were made to work, and were rocking for a bit, but a triple substitution turned the tide in their favour
2 min: The mist is a proper pea-souper, and descending at speed. Just as well both teams are in such distinctive shirts.
1 min: Liverpool are on the front foot quickly. Mane skitters down the right, reaches the byline, and stands one up for Jota in the middle. But Jota had shoved Dumfries, and the whistle goes to relieve the early pressure on Inter.
Continue reading...The Fiver | Mbappé, Messi and a torch cheekily back-flicked down the wing
It was a fairly instructive evening in Paris last night. Leo Messi wandered around the Parc des Princes with a scribble of comic-strip-cloud misery constantly hovering above his head. With a faint but unmistakable air of hopelessness and ennui enveloping the poor little chap, the Fiver couldn’t help but notice his increasing resemblance to Charlie Brown. When he missed that penalty, we found ourselves hitting rewind, just to double check whether Lucy had moved the ball just before he kicked it. Good grief.
Continue reading...February 15, 2022
Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Real Madrid: Champions League last 16 – as it happened
Kylian Mbappe’s injury-time winner gave PSG a slender advantage ahead of next month’s second leg in Spain, after Lionel Messi had earlier missed a penalty
3 min: Real pass it around the back awhile. It’s a period of sterile possession that encourages plenty of pantomime whistling from the home crowd.
1 min: The first roar of the evening as Mbappe turns gracefully into space and immediately sprays a pass wide right to Di Maria. The move fizzles out but what an early statement of intent by Mbappe.
Continue reading...The Fiver | PSG v Real Madrid: Big Cup returns with an unromantic match-up
The knockout stage of Big Cup begins this evening, and thoughts naturally turn to Barcelona. They’re not in it, of course, but that’s exactly why everyone’s thinking about them. Barça shipped three goals on three occasions in the groups, and so now they’ve got a battle on to make the last 16 of Big Vase instead. Looking on the bright side, at least the likes of Bayern Munich, Roma and Liverpool can’t get at them from where they are now – though let’s hang fire on confidently declaring this new environment a humiliation-free safe space until we see what Napoli do to them in that Vase play-off game.
Continue reading...February 12, 2022
Norwich 0-4 Manchester City: Premier League – as it happened
Raheem Sterling’s hat-trick sent Manchester City 12 points clear at the top
3 min: That will have given Norwich some early hope, though. Manchester City can be got at ... so the visitors remind them how dangerous they can be. Sterling wins a corner. The set piece is worked back up the pitch, before a ball’s lobbed down the inside-left channel to release Foden, who slams home after some staunch Gunn resistance. Another offside flag pops up. In a parallel universe somewhere, it’s 1-1 already.
1 min: Almost a sensational start! Gunn blooters long. Dias fresh-air kicks, allowing Rashica through on goal! Rashica doesn’t back himself, though, and in looking to find Pukki in the middle, slips over and loses control. It doesn’t matter, though, because the flag goes up correctly for offside.
Continue reading...Manchester United 1-1 Southampton: Premier League – as it happened
United dropped two more points in their top-four chase, as Saints earned a deserved draw at Old Trafford
4 min: Rashford swings one in from the right. Ronaldo can’t reach it at the far stick. Both teams now have one delicious ball to their name.
2 min: Broja skins Varane down the right and rolls a tasty ball across the face of the United goal. Elyounoussi couldn’t keep up. Had he been able to do so, he’d have had a tap in. Old Trafford collectively gasps then sighs in relief.
Continue reading...February 11, 2022
The Fiver | Chelsea have a crack at pretending to care about the Club World Cup
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Let’s face it, the Fifa Club World Cup has never quite caught the public’s imagination here in Blighty. Not like the old Intercontinental Cup, which saw Celtic and Racing Club throw hands, and Manchester United exchange pleasantries with Estudiantes. Two thoroughly entertaining late-sixties donnybrooks that have gone down in sporting folklore, with the caveat that obviously nobody wants to see that sort of thing, won’t somebody think of the kids, etc. Still, come on. Bertie Auld refusing to leave after being one of six men to be sent off, instead playing the rest of the match? George Best bobbing and weaving in the middle of a comic-book cloud of fists and boots? You’d pay plenty of folding money for that sort of nonsense today, and throw in some coins too.
Continue reading...February 10, 2022
Liverpool 2-0 Leicester City: Premier League – as it happened
Diogo Jota scored his 16th and 17th goals of the season as Liverpool saw off resolute Leicester
2 min: Leicester are kicking towards the Kop in this first half. So having phrased it like that, they’ve hardly had a touch in these very early exchanges.
14 sec: Nearly a dream start for Diaz on his full debut, as Alexander-Arnold sends him free down the left with a trademark raking pass. Diaz enters the box and opts to check inside instead of hitting a first-time shot. That allows Amartey to block.
Continue reading...The Fiver | Sunderland, Roy Keane, mouth pops and a slap-bass sting
Things haven’t gone right for poor old Sunderland for quite a while now. Since 1939, in fact, when Germany invaded Poland to set off an unfortunate chain of events that robbed their league-and-cup-winning superstar Raich Carter of what would surely have been his best years and culminated in his transfer to Derby County. Sunderland’s immediate post-war ‘Bank of England’ spending spree produced a trophy haul of no trophies, and while the 1973 cup win provided brief respite from the relentless misery, things quickly became so grindingly dull again that even the 1981 arrival of national treasure / people’s sunbeam Ally McCoist couldn’t cheer anyone up.
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