Melbourne Stars are Scorched by Perth

Ventured to the Western Australian Cricket Association Ground, also known as #THEFURNACE to the fans more akin to this form of the game, twenty twenty cricket. Perth Scorchers batted first and they had a rather sluggish start. Former Western Australian player Michael Beer cause some trouble early on by taking an early vital wicket to put Perth under enormous pressure. It was looking like the innings would conclude earlier than the allotted 20 overs and therefore a quick chase.

However, that was not to be the case and the home side dug themselves out of trouble and put on a respectable total. Cartwright and Voges built up a healthy partnership with Voges making 35 and then leaving Cartwright to make 58 with a healthy contribution of 33 from Agar gave the Scorchers a total of 6 for 142.

The Stars just never found a rhythm that could see themselves to mount a serious threat with the bat. Tye was his devastating best in t20's with 5 Melbourne scalps crippling the visitors run chase. Bowling from the Scorchers was tidy and worked well in tandem with Tye as they mounted the pressure at the other end to force the visitors into playing risky shots to force a change in tempo.
Melbourne ended short with 8 wickets for 129 off the full 20 overs.

The food and drink of course is why I am here and as usual food at the WACA is flirting with the "dont bother" category, due to the prices. However, through my travels of the United States, it seems that it is relatively on par. Venues tend to gouge their patrons for the sake of food and drink.

Beers were 9 dollars and were full strength as I must disclose that I was in the member's enclosure. Food was a bit on the nose with a burger at 9.50 and ice-cream at 5 dollars, which is a joke. Burger was nice but it was just plain cheeseburger style so nothing to go crazy about. I was also a bit hungry after and bought some chips and they were 4 dollars too. But the packet is the larger version so it kind of made up for the high price tag.

The ground is a neat little cricket club-style venue that offers a fantastic venue to watch cricket with the backdrop of Perth, East Perth and Burswood surrounding it. It will be a shame when this venue eventually goes as they will move games to the newer Perth Stadium across the river.

Newcastle Shoot Down Glory

Perth Glory played host to Newcastle United Jets on a warm December evening. Once again I refrained from making any food purchases as they are through the roof and are a complete racket. However, after a long day at cricket I was thirsty so I did succumb to buying a bottle of Pepsi which is now 5.50! So I must try and avoid that temptation when I am at the ground in the future.

Perth scored first and were playing not too badly. They were not dominating, nor were they overly shaky. However, you just knew that something would go dramatically wrong. Watching Perth Glory is like watching a dangerous nuclear reactor. You know it will explode, or meltdown at any given moment. The only problem is you dont know why, how and when it will occur. When it does, it leads to spectacular results with the catastrophic fallout that ensues.

The Perth defence just did exactly that and exploded, giving Newcastle an equaliser and it just went from bad to worse. Shoddy defending, woeful passing, average set pieces just resulted in Perth turning into a lame donkey that was going to be shot and put out of its misery. It was a drawn out, painful, depressing and sad sight to behold. Newcastle then scored the winner through shocking defending from the hosts. The game ended at 2-1 to Newcastle and yet another 3 points thrown away into the wind.

Warriors Notching Up Runs

Ventured down to the WACA Ground to watch Western Warriors (Western Australia) play the Bulls (Queensland) in a Sheffield Shield match on a beautifully bright, clear and warm day 2 of the four day match. Western Australia were putting on the runs against a Queensland attack where it looked like they were swatting the ball as if it were a huge inflated beach ball.
Mitchell Marsh played a fantastic innings with an impressive 141. He was caught behind with a flashing shot down the leg side but after a long day out in the middle, you could forgive him for a rash shot looking for more runs.
While I was watching the game I was sitting in the member's enclosure relaxing when I was rather thirsty and decided for a drink. Decided to go for some spirits and went for a captain Morgan and rum. It was a staggering 11 dollars for a 3.5% volume alcohol can! That is outrageous! I cannot believe that in the member's enclosure it is watered down alcohol. While I wouldn't mind the insane price for alcohol if it was full strength alcohol, but this is mid-strength! While I understand the pricing so people can not buy too many and possibly get drunk, this is just "nanny state" to more overbearing levels. The limit is two per person so while go over the top and have them at 11 dollars each and mid-strength?

While it was a wonderful day watching some shield cricket, there is a sour taste in my mouth from the highway robbery that was the price of my drink. Guess I wont be drinking here in the member's enclosure now also.

Perth Lacking Glory Against Melbourne Victory

A wonder and beautiful sunny warm Sunday in Perth played host to Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory.Perth after coming off a humiliating 5-2 thrashing in Wellington, were hoping to have a change in fortunes against the improving Victory. Perth in the first half looked impressive, holding the ball and stringing passes together and were probing for an opening. However nothing came about of these attacks and the match ended at half time 0-0.

Perth minus their star Diego Castro looked flat, they looked like they had no core running instructions to the rest of the body. This was evident as Melbourne decided that enough was enough and switched up gears to put the foot down and began to grind Perth into a chaotic mix. There was clear evidence that once again Kenny Lowe was bereft of ideas as Perth were trying to hit back but would be smacked down by Melbourne over and over again.

With some poor defending Melbourne opened the score through a Berisha goal. Perth were crippled afterwards and just didn't look like scoring. Andy Keogh while a good signing for Perth just seems to huff, and puff but just unable to blow the house down. The amount of time he would work through defenders and just fail to finish is frustrating for a Perth fan.

Once again i avoided food as it is expensive, but I did have yet again some drinks. Had a water, pepsi and a johnnie walker and coke for 18 dollars. Water and pepsi was 5 dollars each and the spirit was 8 dollars.

Despite Perth putting on an insipid display, it is always great to head down to nib stadium and enjoy a game off football and enjoy the warmth and fantastic sunshine that Perth puts on each summer.

Australia Make it for Russia

Ventured to Sydney midweek to see Australia play Honduras in the second and final leg of the intercontinental play-offs between the best third ranked Asian side and the best fourth ranked north and central American side. The whole journey was filled with drama and events but all in all was a fantastic shorty trip to see Sydney again.
Due to track problems, a tree falling on the lines or something had caused the network to slow down. This caused huge delays to my journey to Olympic Park and I was going to miss the start of the match. I only missed the first 15 minutes, which wasn't too bad but I did want to get there on time. This is a huge game!
Before going to my seat I had decided to grab something to eat and drink as I did not want to leave my seat after missing a bit of the game already! I bought a coke and a hot-dog for 12.50 which was typical stadium prices. Coke was 6 dollars and the hot-dog a staggering 6.50.
I actually had planned on having a beer or something else but to be honest from those two high prices, I had decided to go against it.

Australia was never seriously threatened, except for a few moments where the Hondurans looked threatening. Funny how when Ange's Australian side is up against the wall for a do-or-die clash they seem to play better, unlike during the qualifiers they play like a Sunday league side. While the cattle on the park these days are very thin compared to the golden generation, the manager himself is utterly bereft of ideas and usually is found wanting by teams that should be dispatched, but manage to take points off them.

Australia though didn't look like they would score form open play which has been a huge concern during this "revolution" we were promised since 2013. So far we are still waiting for this to happen. Jedinak scored the opening goal with a free kick which deflected and went in.

Later in the second half you had two penalties given and Jedinak completing his hat-trick. Juric missed yet again another one-on-one howler which could have put Australia 4 goals ahead. Late into the second half Honduras scored a consolation goal to finish the match 3-1. Australia won 3-1 on aggregate and booked the 31st place to Russia.

Leaving the stadium was a bit of a nightmare as tens of thousands of people wishing to go back to the CBD had to wait for a very long time to be marshalled into the station in order to go home.

Sydney though, put on a great event and has always been great to visit.

Fluminense Pushed Aside by Botafogo

Went to the Maracana to watch the "Grandfather Derby", the match between the two oldest sides in Rio and the Campeonato Brasileiro. I have always wanted to watch a match here, and although not the biggest of the Rio derbies, i couldn't turn down this opportunity to watch football at this iconic ground.
There have been a few matches been played by the Rio sides during my time here but due to the dispute between the stadium management, state government, local government and federal government in Brazil resulted in games not being played here. Instead matches were played at smaller venues which were in Zona Norte or Ilha do Governador.
I watched the Botafogo match the week before, so I was expecting a similar display from them this match. I didn't have any expectations of how Fluminense would play as I havent seen them too much and on TV it would be mainly about the bigger two Rio sides of Vasco Da Gama and Flamengo.

I was hoping to see Fluminense win though as I ended up sitting in the section that is more stacked with their fans. The game started well for the home side, but they were not able to get into a rhythm and just couldn't find that composure to sustain pressure upon Botafogo.
Botafogo played more aggressively this match and were pressing higher and were all humming along to one tune it seemed as all their passes were connecting with pin-point accuracy and forced Fluminense to create many unforced errors.

This resulted in Botafogo scoring midway through the first half and just couldn't see how they could let Fluminense into the game after such robust defending.
There were flickers of potential from the home side, which did suddenly catch Botafogo off guard but they were quick to respond to the changes and counter. The last 10 minutes though of the game you could see a more tired Botafogo and Fluminense tried frantically to search for an equaliser. However, it was not to come and the match ended in favour of Botafogo.

The food once again was typical Brazilian football fare and was very tasty. While others have been complaining it is expensive, I didn't think it was too out of touch with people. While I agree that the Olympics over inflated the prices, the campeonato prices were not unreasonable.

Water was 5 reais ($2.10), popcorn was 10 (4.15), hotdogs were 8 (3.30), Cans were 6 (2.50), globo brand snack was 5 (2.10) and salgados were 6 (2.50).
Beers were 10 (4.15) and you could pay an additional 7 (2.90) for a Fluminense cup. I was very satisfied with the food and drinks during the game, despite the rough and tumble nature of the match. These games are a far cry to what you see when they refer to "jogo bonito".

While a game at the Maracana has been ticked off the bucket list, I would love to watch a Fluminense v Flamengo derby and see the venue filled. However had a fantastic evening and would love to return.

Fui a Maracana para assistir o "Grandfather Derby", o jogo entre os dois lados mais antigos do Rio e o Campeonato Brasileiro. Eu sempre quis assistir uma partida aqui, e apesar de não serem os maiores derbies do Rio, não consegui aproveitar esta oportunidade para assistir futebol nesta base icônica.

Houve alguns jogos jogados pelos lados do Rio durante o meu tempo aqui, mas devido à disputa entre a gestão do estádio, o governo estadual, o governo local e o governo federal no Brasil. Em vez disso, eles foram jogados em locais menores que estavam na Zona Norte ou na Ilha do Governador.

Eu assisti a partida de Botafogo na semana anterior, então eu estava esperando uma exibição semelhante deles nesta partida. Eu não tinha nenhuma expectativa de como Fluminense iria jogar como eu não os vi muito e na TV seria principalmente nos dois maiores lados de Vasco da Gama e Flamengo.

Eu estava esperando para ver Fluminense ganhar, enquanto eu terminava sentado na seção que está empilhada com seus fãs. O jogo começou bem ao lado da casa, mas eles não conseguiram entrar no ritmo e simplesmente não conseguiram encontrar essa compostura para manter a pressão sobre o Botafogo.

Botafogo jogou mais agressivamente essa partida e estava pressionando mais alto e todos zumbiam em uma melodia. Parecia que todas as suas passagens estavam se conectando à precisão do ponto e forçaram o Fluminense a criar muitos erros não forçados.

Isso resultou em Botafogo marcando meio caminho no primeiro semestre e simplesmente não conseguiu ver como eles poderiam deixar o Fluminense no jogo depois de uma defesa tão robusta.

Havia potenciais cintilações do lado da casa, que não conseguiram pegar Botafogo desprevenidos, mas foram rápidos em responder a mudanças e contadores. Nos últimos 10 minutos do jogo, você pode ver mais cansado o Botafogo e o Fluminense freneticamente tentaram procurar um equalizador. No entanto, não era para vir e a partida terminou a favor de Botafogo.

A comida, mais uma vez, era típica do futebol brasileiro e era muito saborosa. Enquanto outros se queixavam, não pensei que estivesse fora de contato com as pessoas. Embora eu concorde que as Olimpíadas ultrapassaram os preços, os preços do campeonato não eram razoáveis.

A água era de 5 reais (US $ 2,10), a pipoca tinha 10 (4.15), os filhotes eram 8 (3.30), as latas eram 6 (2.50), o lanche da marca de balão era 5 (2.10) e o saboroso tinha 6 (2,50).

As cervejas eram 10 (4.15) e você poderia pagar 7 (2.90) para um copo de Fluminense. Fiquei muito satisfeito com a comida e as bebidas durante o jogo, apesar da natureza áspera e caida do jogo. Estes jogos são muito lágrimas para o que você vê quando se referem ao "belo jogo".

Enquanto um jogo em Maracana foi marcado fora da lista de balde, eu adoraria assistir o derby Fluminense v Flamengo e ver o lugar cheio. No entanto, tive uma noite fantástica e retornaria.

Botafogo Snatch Victory from Atlético

Visited the former Olympic stadium for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic games to watch hosts Botafogo take on Atlético Mineiro at the Nilton Santos Stadium on a rather cool yet comfortable July's winter night in Rio.

The hosts were what I concluded, were conspiring in every conceivable way to try and lose the game. The visitors from Minas Gerais were overwhelmingly dominating the contest in the first half. Botafogo just could not find their rhythm and were just unable to settle into a style of play that they were comfortable with. There were some moments where Botafogo looked like they were lifting themselves off the canvas, but only to be smacked back down by an unrelenting attack from Atletico.
Unfortunately there was a deflection from a botafogo defender after an Atletico strike was not on target put the visitors in the lead.

Unfortunately for the hosts there were also some rough decisions go against them with a goalkeeper handling the ball outside of the box not given as well as a few occasions, corners were not correctly awarded and goal kicks were given instead of corners to the hosts. These frustrations towards the home fans and other unusual oversights for free-kicks made it rather difficult to follow. When you thought that you could get into the groove and understand the pace and flow of how the game was being refereed, yellow cards would be given when you thought it should be a play on or just a free-kick.

The second half was a much better improvement for the hosts as they started to find they way and began to dictate terms to the visitors. The problem was that they just couldn't connect in the final third and were looking like toothless tigers, all roar but no bite. Atletico were effectively shut down in the second half but at moments they did look threatening to double the lead. However, the Botafogo defence held firm and kept any threat at bay.

The drama really occurred deep into injury time in the second half with a penalty awarded to the Botafogo for a clumsy tackle that even Lucas Neill would be proud of. With the final kick of the game, Botafogo slotted it in to draw the match level at a goal a piece.

The extra seating that was there during the Olympics were removed, so both ends of the stadium look very open and the breeze did come through due to this compared to last year. All the seats were black and white and no signs of the blue Olympic colour scheme other than the track and field area around the football pitch.

As for food, it was a delight as always. I had a beer with a commemorative cup for 17 reais, which is roughly 7 dollars and hit the spot. The ticket was 50 reais (20), and a flag was 40 (16). Food and drinks was where it was at and I had popcorn for 8 (3.20) and a beer for the same which was Brahma. I had salgados (snacks) which were like pastry with cheese and meat inside. They were 8 (3.20) and had cheese and a calabresa one which is sausage. They really did hit the spot with the beers and popcorn. I finished off with a can of pepsi which was 6 (2.4).

All in all a good night for football and you cannot be upset about the options and the quality of snack on offer at the games here. Definitely felt satisfied as well as a good game of football.

Visitei o antigo estádio olímpico para os Jogos Olímpicos do Rio de Janeiro de 2016 para assistir os anfitriões Botafogo assumir o Atlético Mineiro no Estádio Nilton Santos em uma noite de inverno bem legal e confortável no Rio de Janeiro.

Os anfitriões eram o que eu concluí, estavam conspirando de todas as formas concebíveis para tentar perder o jogo. Os visitantes de Minas Gerais estavam predominantemente dominando o concurso no primeiro semestre. Botafogo simplesmente não conseguiu encontrar seu ritmo e não conseguiu se adaptar a um estilo de jogo com o qual eles estavam confortáveis. Houve alguns momentos em que Botafogo pareceu estar se afastando da tela, mas apenas para ser derrubado por um implacável ataque do Atlético.
Infelizmente, houve uma deflexão de um defensor do botafogo depois de uma greve do Atletico não estar no alvo colocar os visitantes na liderança.

Infelizmente para os anfitriões, também houve algumas decisões difíceis contra eles, com um goleiro que manipulava a bola fora da caixa não dada, bem como algumas ocasiões, os cantos não foram corretamente premiados e os golos foram entregues em vez de cantos para os anfitriões. Essas frustrações para os adeptos da casa e outras negligências incomuns para chutes livres tornaram bastante difícil de seguir. Quando você pensou que poderia entrar no groove e entender o ritmo e o fluxo de como o jogo estava sendo arbitrado, cartões amarelos seriam dados quando você pensou que deveria ser uma jogada ou apenas um tiro livre.

A segunda metade foi uma melhoria muito melhor para os anfitriões quando eles começaram a encontrar o caminho e começaram a ditar termos aos visitantes. O problema era que eles simplesmente não podiam se conectar no terceiro final e estavam olhando como tigres desdentados, todos rugiam, mas sem mordida. O Atlético foi efetivamente desligado no segundo semestre, mas, por momentos, pareciam ameaçar o dobro da liderança. No entanto, a defesa Botafogo manteve firme e manteve qualquer ameaça à distância.

O drama realmente ocorreu profundamente no tempo de lesão no segundo semestre com uma penalidade concedida ao Botafogo por um tackle desajeitado que até Lucas Neill se orgulharia. Com o chute final do jogo, Botafogo marcou para desenhar o nível de jogo em um gol de uma peça.

O assento extra que estava lá durante as Olimpíadas foi removido, então ambos os fins do estádio parecem muito abertos e a brisa aconteceu devido a isso em comparação com o ano passado. Todos os assentos eram preto e branco e nenhum sinal do esquema azul de cores olímpicas além da área de pista e campo em torno do campo de futebol.

Quanto à comida, foi uma delícia como sempre. Tive uma cerveja com um copo comemorativo de 17 reais, que é cerca de 7 dólares e atingiu o local. O ingresso foi de 50 reais (20), e uma bandeira foi de 40 (16). Comida e bebidas era onde estava e eu tinha pipoca para 8 (3,20) e uma cerveja para o mesmo que era Brahma. Eu tinha salgados (lanches) que eram como pastelaria com queijo e carne dentro. Eles tinham 8 (3.20) e tinham queijo e um calabresa que é salsicha. Eles realmente atingiram o local com as cervejas e a pipoca. Eu terminei com uma lata de pepsi que era 6 (2.4).

No geral, uma boa noite para o futebol e você não pode ficar chateado com as opções e a qualidade do lanche oferecido nos jogos aqui. Definitivamente ficou satisfeito, bem como um bom jogo de futebol.