Inglewood Too Good For Forrestfield

On a bitterly cold July night at Hartfield Park, was host the National Premier League WA match between Forrestfield United and Inglewood United. I hadn't been to Hartfield Park for quite some time, also due to my travel and other commitments I haven't been able to get down to see many games; so, this was a great opportunity to get out and see some night football. 

But it was the experience and skills of the visitors from Inglewood who were just too good for the hosts in this highly energised and intense match.

Inglewood opened the account with a neat finish in the 13^th minute after some shaky Forrestfield defending allowed the visitors the opportunity via a through ball.

However, Forrestfield remained resilient and toiled away and it paid off with an equaliser 10 minutes later via a penalty. It was at half time all square with the hosts feeling very confident of grinding out a result.

The second half resumed, and Forrestfield looked to tire which on the 60^th minute mark allowed Inglewood to pound on some wayward defending to give the visitors the lead once again.

Forrestfield huffed and puffed but it was to no avail as they were pressing high to find an equaliser. Their best chance was in the 85^th minute from a powerful strike that was brilliantly saved by the Inglewood keeper.

Match finished 2-1 in favour of Inglewood giving their manager Andy Keogh a much earned 3 points.

As it was freezing, and I was still recovering from a horrible bout of a flu, I did have a few beverages. Carlton Draught was 8 dollars and a coke were 2.50. Chips with gravy were 5 dollars and they were fantastic on a night like this with a forrie burger going down well at 8 dollars too.

Was a great night down at Forrestfield, albeit freezing conditions but was excellent with a decent crowd getting behind both teams.

Chelsea and Perth Play Friendly

Chelsea visited the west coast of Australia on a very chilly and cold Optus Stadium in Perth, the capital of Western Australia to play a friendly game with Perth Glory. The game was the first football game to be played at the new stadium, with cricket, Australian Rules and rugby league already being played at the stadium since its opening earlier this year.

The game was launched with much fanfare with the lighting display at the stadium once again proving to be a smash hit with its dazzling choreographed display while the Chelsea club song was playing as well as other songs. It felt like I was in an incredibly large night club with bolts of blue, shades of blue and white shooting all over the place.

 The game kicked off and it really didn't take long for the west Londoners to open the account with a rather simple tap in goal within the first 10 minutes. It really did look like that Chelsea were going to rip open the game and put on a cricket score. Thankfully, Perth showed a great level of resilience and tenacity and at times did cause the Englishmen a few moments of panic when they pressed.

However, it was rather obvious that there must have been a form of agreement between the two sides as tackles from both sides were rather soft, challenges at times were also rather weak and there were moments where Chelsea should have slammed the Perth Glory defence with at least 5 goals. So there must have been an agreement. I was impressed with the new signings of the Perth Glory under the new manager Tony Popovic. I hope that these promising displays from the new recruits can transpose into the up-coming A-League season.

The seats at the new stadium are fantastic. The seats are great viewing, especially if you wish to duck out for a beverage, Alcoholic or not. Choc milks are 5 dollars, Cokes are also 5 dollars, and beer was 8 dollars. The beers on choice were the usual, Alby and the mid strength one. Was just great to watch the game and enjoy a drink. The only problem of course is that it was incredibly cold and holding a cold drink doesn't help the hand!

It was a great night to watch the first game of football at the stadium, which was also a new record for a football game in Perth. This beat the 2000 National Soccer League grand final. That was around the 44,000 mark. The match tonight was 55,000, a very impressive figure.

France Weather Storm Against Belgium

Was very fortunate to get myself a ticket for the semi final between France and Belgium in Saint Petersburg. This would be the last match that I was able to visit as my time in Russia was coming to a close. France have been the form side throughout this tournament and with the penultimate match before the world cup final, I thought that they would have had no difficulties against Belgium, despite their performance against Brazil to ensure they made it to the semi-finals.

The semi final was played at the home of Zenit Saint Petersburg in a rebuilt stadium for the world cup. It is on the outer regions of the city but with access from the metro it was not difficult to get to and from the stadium. This match was to be played at 9pm at night which was unusual for me as the sun doesn't set until around 10pm in this part of the world and even then you can still see faint sunlight.

The atmosphere was once again pulsing with excitement and joy. Not just for French and Belgian supporters but from all who had come to watch the match. There were flags from all nations, including ones from nations who didn't make it to the tournament. Which I noticed spiked dramatically after the group matches. The major flags I saw were Chinese, Indian, UAE, Malaysian and Singaporean flags. Clearly these people snapped up tickets for the knockout stages to watch the big teams but also to try and on-sell their tickets to make profit. While I didn't fall victim to this, I feel sorry to others that were drawn into these.

But the crowd was just excited with both French and Belgian fans waving, cheering and taking pictures together while they were drinking. It was all in good spirits and was great to see nations and people coming together through football. While football can be very divisive through passionate fans and national sentiments, it brings us together and we build connections.

The game was just epic. The stadium felt like a massive theatre with the stage being the pitch, bathed in light and our eyes gazing to watch the performance that was about to unfold for an hour and a half. Belgium were all over France in the first 30 minutes with brilliant saves from the French keeper to nudge the ball to safety. The France defence were valiant in maintaining their defensive line and repulsing the red devil's attacks. The game started to turn into France's favour towards the end of the second half but Belgium were still pushing for a goal very aggressively throughout.

It wasn't until the second half that France found the breakthrough and ended up being the winning goal from a set piece and then put into the back of the net. Belgium were rather flat during that period and began to look rather lethargic and docile in the middle of the second half. But towards the end of the second half Les Bleus were put on notice when Belgium woke up and furiously pushed them for an equaliser to add another twist to the tale of this match. However, it was not to be and the match ended 1-0 to France. France go to Moscow for the final and Belgium stay put for the third place match.

I had some popcorn which was rather average and small in size compared to what I get in Brazil or the US. That was 250 rubles. Coke and water were 200 and Budweiser was 300. Other than that nothing else to write home about. But I was practically glued to my chair watching this tussle between these two excellent teams.

Очень повезло, что я получил билет на полуфинал между Францией и Бельгией в Санкт-Петербурге. Это будет последний матч, который я смог посетить, так как мое время в России подходит к концу. Франция была формой на этом турнире и с предпоследним матчем перед финалом кубка мира, я думал, что у них не было бы никаких проблем с Бельгией, несмотря на их выступление против Бразилии, чтобы они попали в полуфинал.

Полуфинал сыграл в доме «Зенит Санкт-Петербург» на восстановленном стадионе мирового кубка. Он находится на внешних участках города, но с доступом из метро не трудно добраться до и от стадиона. Этот матч должен был сыграть в 9 вечера ночью, что было необычно для меня, поскольку солнце не устанавливалось до 10 вечера в этой части мира, и даже тогда вы все еще можете видеть слабый солнечный свет.

Атмосфера снова пульсировала от волнения и радости. Не только для французских и бельгийских сторонников, но и для всех, кто пришел посмотреть матч. Были флаги из всех стран, в том числе из стран, которые не попали на турнир. Который я заметил, резко увеличился после групповых матчей. Главными флагами, которые я видел, были флаги Китая, Индии, ОАЭ, Малайзии и Сингапура. Ясно, что эти люди хватались за билеты на нокаут, чтобы посмотреть большие команды, а также попытаться продать свои билеты, чтобы получить прибыль. Хотя я не стал жертвой этого, мне жаль других, которые втянуты в них.

Но толпа была просто в восторге от того, как французские и бельгийские поклонники размахивали, подбадривали и фотографировали вместе, когда они пили. Все было в хорошем настроении, и было здорово видеть, как народы и люди собираются вместе через футбол. В то время как футбол может быть очень расходящимся через страстных поклонников и национальных настроений, он объединяет нас, и мы строим связи.

Игра была просто эпической. Стадион казался массивным театром со сценой, являющейся площадкой, освещенной светом, и наши глаза смотрели, как смотреть на спектакль, который вот-вот разворачится на полтора часа. В течение первых 30 минут Бельгия находилась по всей Франции с блестящими спасениями от французского вратаря, чтобы подтолкнуть мяч к безопасности. Защита Франции была доблестна в поддержании их оборонительной линии и отражении нападений красного дьявола. Игра стала превращаться в пользу Франции к концу второй половины, но Бельгия по-прежнему настаивает на цель очень агрессивно во всем.

Только во второй половине Франция обнаружила прорыв и в итоге стала побеждающей целью из набора, а затем положила в заднюю часть сетки. Бельгия была довольно плоской в ​​течение этого периода и стала выглядеть довольно летаргичной и послушной в середине второй половины. Но к концу второй половины Les Bleus были замечены, когда Бельгия проснулась и яростно подтолкнула их к эквалайзеру, чтобы добавить еще один поворот к рассказу об этом матче. Однако этого не было, и матч закончился со счетом 1: 0 во Франции. Франция отправляется в Москву на финал, а в Бельгии - на третье место.

У меня был попкорн, который был довольно среднего и небольшого размера по сравнению с тем, что я получаю в Бразилии или США. Это было 250 рублей. Кокс и вода были 200, а Budweiser - 300. Помимо этого больше ничего не пишут. Но я был практически приклеен к моему стулу, наблюдая за этой дракой между этими двумя превосходными командами.