Sao Paulo v Liverpool [R]

[Scholesy]

I am sure most didn't stay up to watch the world club championship final but it was well worth it if you did. The 1-0 loss for Liverpool is hard to swallow especially with not 1 but 3 Liverpool goals disallowed, two of which were blatant goals as shown from the TV replays after the fact (does make you wonder about instant replays for the refs doesn't it?). Having a late penalty call ruled out didn't help much either, it seemed the ref really got too involved in this game when he was barely ever close enough to the game to be in it. There is also a question about having a Mexican ref officiate a game involving a South American team, wouldn't an African or Asain ref have been more appropriate?

The interesting thing was that people for a few years have been saying that English clubs couldn't stand up to the Brazilian teams pace and dribbling and this morning proved that to be utter drivel. Liverpool were without question the better side (even according to the opposition) dominating for 90 minutes and really defending from the midfield where Sao Paulo never stood a chance, Steven Gerrard was a genius. Liverpool had 21 shots, 17 corners, and hit the crossbar twice (Sao Paulo had 0 corners and pretty much one shot).

Liverpool played with Morientes alone up front which although an interesting tactic proved dangerous nevertheless. I do think that with 2 up front we'd have scored more like 5 and maybe the linesmen would have seen one of them. It was funny in sad sort of way, there were two teams running like greyhounds on acid and then these three refs who couldn't keep up with them for most of it and when they did they were too busy trying to affect the game they forgot to ref it. Had the refs been in better shape and of better quality then certainly two goals would have stood for Liverpool, the other goal was probable at worst.

To para-phrase a web report on the goals dissallowed ...

'Mexican referee Benito Archundia ruled out a Sami Hyypia effort after adjudging that Alonso's corner had curled out before the big Finn volleyed it home. Shown afterwards not to have gone out.

Archundia was unconvinced after substitute Peter Crouch looked to have been illegally blocked by two Sao Paulo defenders.

Substitute Florent Sinama Pongolle's late effort was then disallowed for offside, to the annoyance of Liverpool's players and most of the 68,000 crowd'.

Maybe this will put paid to the people who say European teams (EPL in particular) can't play and score against the fast defenses of the Brazilians. ad it not been for specatular goalkeeping from Rogerino the game would have been drastically different in the reslt would have reflected the play. Talking of goalkeepers, this was the end of over 17 hours of a clean sheet for Liverpools Reina, now that's a good record to have; of course he still maintains a clean sheet in the EPL and Europe for those 17 hours which in itself is brilliant.

Of course having said all of that we lost. but it was a 1-0 win for a team whose coach said afterwards that Liverpool dominated, produced better football and were the better team, but he was glad his team scored and got one that counted. "We beat a great team," said Sao Paulo coach Paulo Autuori. "The only thing that's important in football is the final score". Even their captain said that one of the Liverpool goals was a goal and that was before all of the TV replays.

Anyway congrats to Sao Paulo, you win some like that and you lose some like that but to see Liverpool outplay the 'best' in South America was a bitter-sweet treat.

[soccerman]

All I will say is that this game has not in any way changed my opinion about the integrity of anyone associated with Mexican soccer (they're all dirty, diving, whining, stinking cheaters). Liverpool got screwed.

[prk166]

I thought Liverpool got screwed simply by having to play in this silly world club championship competition. 🙂

[soccerman]

Originally Posted by prk166

I thought Liverpool got screwed simply by having to play in this silly world club championship competition. 🙂

Too right

[Stucki]

Originally Posted by prk166

I thought Liverpool got screwed simply by having to play in this silly world club championship competition. 🙂

Actually, I'm with Blatter on this one, although the timing of it could be better.

[Aerick]

I saw part of the game (about 15 - 20 minutes) including the goal by Sao Paulo. Didn't Liverpool have some crazy goals conceded streak going on too?