Oh, the Arse; why art thou so frustrating? It was a pretty good game, the Carling Cup final. Birmingham looked in the mood to attack and Arsenal were all sharp passes and flowing play. At 1-1 the match was pretty even, but Arsenal were beginning to edge in front and I was hopeful for a victory and (finally!!) some silverware. However, five minutes from time, a complete monstrosity of a mix-up between goalie Szczesny and defender Koscielny gifted Birmingham the winning goal. Never mind that Foster, at the other end, had a brilliant match and saved a great many Arsenal shot; never mind the difference just one of them could have made; you cannot afford to make a mistake like that. Complete communication failure. Complete gift. Arsenal were, once again, undone by too much intricacy and delicacy and lacked the final finish. They could have been three or four goals up by the time of the mix-up and then even if it had happened, it wouldn't have mattered. I love the way Arsenal play, it's why I became a fan in the first place all those years ago, but it gets to a point where they have to admit to themselves that it's not working any more. It's not getting them the results they need, nay, deserve. Play the beautiful game as it should be but grind a little too.
On a brighter note they beat Leyton Orient 5-0 tonight to progress to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. They now have to play Man U... but still, a 5-0 victory is a 5-0 victory.
Amazing England/India cricket match...
India won the toss and chose to bat first on a promising crease. They reached a massive 338 (thanks largely to a beautifully crafted 120 from 115 balls by Sachin Tendulkar) and looked set to keep their 100% record in tact and take another step to what many people think will be their tournament. England, however, had other ideas. They completed the highest ever run-chase in ODI history and fought their way to a dramatic tie, needing one off the last ball (which Swann gave a fair old whack and had it not been for some excellent fielding could well have won the match for England). Oh, the drama. It was the best ODI game I've ever seen. Strauss was, as is so often the case, the hero for me. His 158 from 145 balls was simply divine. He came out all guns blazing (which is not the Straussy we usually see but is definitely in there somewhere, hovering underneath the calm, level-headed, patient exterior; the Strauss who wants to whack the ball and be the glory man) and kept a remarkable pace throughout his innings of almost a run a ball, with a strike rate of 108.96 runs per 100 balls. He was assured and confident and never looked like going out (pretty much until the ball that actually got him out). Stunning. I highly recommend the highlights.
Today, however, was not such a good day for Ol' Blighty. We lost to Ireland. Kevin O'Brien smashed his way to the fastest century in ODI history (from 50 balls) and eventually gave Ireland 113 from 63 balls to help them surpass their (very respectable) target of 328 with five balls to spare and three wickets to hand. Not what we expected after such an amazing come-back on Sunday. Still, that's the beauty of the group stages; you can lose and still win. Onwards and Upwards gentlemen!
Grand Slam still on...
In the Six Nations England's all-important match against France was deliciously victorious as we defeated them 17-9. An impressive and comprehensive win keeps the hopes of every Englander very much alive. If we can beat France, and so convincingly, surely we can beat anyone? Surely we can beat everyone? Surely, then, the trophy will be ours and the glory of a grand slam will be achieved? If France can't stop us, no one can, right?
I'll keep you blogged...
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