As the referee blew this whistle, the crowds erupted with noise, as if the English were here to take over Moscow. We started brilliantly with passing precision and a touch of class by the golden oldies Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. World player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo set us off on a flyer with the opening goal of the game with a sublime header. After that, it was edge of the seat stuff, we certainly won the first half of the game, however the second half belonged to Chelsea. They equalised through Chelsea legend Frank Lampard to make it all square and everything to play for. A concession of chances game for both teams in the remainder of the game, including extra time. Then, the final whistle went, and it was time for the lottery. Penalty shootouts are never a nice way to lose any match, especially the CL final, but it had to be done, and one team was going home being just second best.
I still remember it like it was just yesterday, my pulse was moving so fast I couldn't bare to watch. First stepped us Carlos Tevez, he scored. Then Ballack for Chelsea, he scored. The big penalty was the third one, all eyes were on Cristiano Ronaldo, every camera, millions of eyes on him at once. The best player in the world up against the best keeper in the world at the time. CR7 stepped up, and he missed. He covered his face with his hands almost as if to hide himself from everyone around him. It was a big miss, and a miss that was inches away from handing the CL to Chelsea. Literally, inches. Captain fantastic John terry stepped up or Chelsea to win the CL, if he scored, it would of been done and dusted, and Chelsea would be champions of Europe. I'd never felt so bad in my life, I got a text from my friend in London who supports Chelsea that very second saying, ''Moscow's blue tonight.'' He stepped up, and everything felt slow motion and agonising. As soon as John Terry stuck it, I saw Van Der Sar dive the opposite way from the ball and my heart sank. A split second later, the red half of the stadium went absolutely ballistic, raving over John Terry's penalty miss. He struck the post, as soon as he missed I remember immediately searching for Ronaldo, and the expression on his face told the story, pure relief. On the shootout went, Ryan Giggs did score the winning penalty for United that nighty. But at that time, no one knew yet. Giggs scored then it was Anelka's turn, he looked scared from the moment it was his turn to take a penalty. Anelka hesitantly shot, and Edwin Van Der Sar pushed it clear for a Manchester United win. That was it, the players all ran towards Edwin Van Der Sar to celebrate. My dad who's a real hard nut when it comes to showing emotions grabbed me and hugged me. He hadn't hugged me since I was probably 6 or 7. That's how I knew this was the big time. We roamed the streets of Moscow painting the city red. I replied to my friend's text message saying, ''Looks pretty red to me.'' Manchester United were the Kings of Europe for the 3rd time.
Thanks Mohammed (I think it’s you).
ReplyDeleteThis is an engaging piece of writing which effectively communicates the excitement that you felt watching Man Utd. in Russia and the passion you have for your team. What do you make of their poor start to this season? Do you think they will improve?
You use some interesting vocabulary in this piece and some thoughtful, well-crafted use of language; I particularly like the description of Ferguson as ‘an artist at staying calm’. Are you interested in sports journalism?
One way I would like you to think about improving your writing is by using the full range of punctuation, including colons and semi-colons. Follow this link to find out how to use them properly (they are often misused!) and try to add one of each to your post.
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_05.htm