There is a saying in football - "it's the hope that kills you" - but it certainly did not apply to the 300 Liverpool fans packed into the Jubilee Ballroom at Four Points by Sheraton Singapore as they prayed for a miracle.
They left at the end of the night not with the Premier League title they desperately craved but with renewed optimism that their team have what it takes to get it done next season.
Alan Chng, 45, secretary of the official Liverpool Supporters Club in Singapore, said: "No doubt, we're disappointed, but we're also encouraged by the good results we've got this season. With a charismatic manager (Jurgen Klopp) at the helm and, with supportive owners and the fans behind the team, we'll move on from this."
Before kick-off, the Reds fans knew everything depended on Manchester City's result at Brighton. No wonder a few had one eye on the large LED screens broadcasting their game against Wolves, and another on their smartphones keeping tabs on City's match.
And, for 21 minutes last night, that unlikely scenario played out.
The ballroom erupted when Sadio Mane put Liverpool in front and an even more raucous celebration followed when news trickled in that Glenn Murray had given Brighton the lead. "Blow the whistle now ref!", bellowed a Liverpool fan at the back of the room.
Laughter almost immediately gave way to groans after Sergio Aguero's equaliser, followed soon after by Aymeric Laporte's header which put City 2-1 ahead.
Over at the Thunderbird Bistro along Robertson Walk, about 30 City fans went through a gamut of emotions themselves, particularly in the first half.
Equity sales senior vice-president Vincent Ang, 55, who has supported the Citizens since 1977, said: "The match was nerve-wracking but I was confident. It's a new order and City will dominate for many more years to come, we have an awesome team."
This was City's fourth league title in eight seasons and Manchester native Dave Reade, 37, said the tables have turned on their fierce rivals Manchester United. The tennis coach led most of the chants last night and added: "Once you start supporting a team, you don't stop. There's no changing teams."
It was a sentiment shared by the Merseyside faithful inside the ballroom as they belted out You'll Never Walk Alone in the closing stages of the match.
David King, 37, a fan for 25 years, said: "This season, we've beaten Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain in the Champions League, and we achieved a record points tally. A lot of this squad is still young too, so I believe we are going to get there (and win the Premier League) eventually."
• Additional reporting by Christie Chiu and Renee Neo
fans upbeat, City faithful rejoice
News Post Enquiry Form for Republication or Keepsake. To republish or purchase any Singapore Press Holdings articles and photographs, please fill up the form below.
Singapore's 2018 Year-in-Review by PM Lee is surprisingly upbeat
Nov 02, 2013 · Red Sox fans have a day to rejoice and remember Fans throng the city for World Series victory celebration By Bryan Marquard Globe Staff , November 2, 2013, 10:00 p.m.
Faithful fans rejoice as Hilltoppers break their 26-game
Faithful fans rejoice as Hilltoppers break their 26-game losing streak with many waving red towels. Vette City Prospects.
Reds boss Klopp turns attention to Champions League
Liverpool Fans Rejoice After Stunning Brentford Bristol City Derby County Hull City Ipswich Town not missed by the fans of his club side. The Reds faithful to took to twitter to express
Red Sox fans have a day to rejoice and - The Boston Globe
Manchester City will not face any action from the Football Association (FA) in relation to a video of a song sung on their team flight back from Brighton on Sunday.City secured back-to-back Premier
Champions League final: Madrid braces as 50,000 English fans
Reds boss Klopp turns attention to Champions League As the sun-soaked Liverpool fans retreated to the pubs around the city, the mood remained upbeat. that's all we care about now
Liverpool celebrations: Champions League final, You'll Never
The party has started for Liverpool. Reds fans everywhere are celebrating wildly after their team claimed the Champions League crown with a 2-0 win over Tottenham in Madrid.
Manchester City face no action over 'Allez' chant - AOL
Reds fans upbeat, City faithful rejoice, Football News & Top
Reds fans upbeat, City faithful rejoice. Before kick-off, the Reds fans knew everything depended on Manchester City's result at Brighton. No wonder a few had one eye on the large LED screens
Newspost
Singapore's 2018 Year-in-Review by PM Lee is surprisingly upbeat In his 2019 New Year's message, PM Lee use quite a lot of positive adjectives to describe Singapore's growth this past year. Describing 2018 as a 'productive year for Singapore', PM Lee first noted that the local economy grew steadily at 3.3%, exceeding expectations.
Liverpool Fans Rejoice After Stunning Performance From Star
Elliot May, 14, has this message on the placard he has been holding up for close to three hours as he ambles round the city centre in Madrid. This wasn't how the young Liverpool fan pictured the Champions League final when he and his father, Teddy, floated the idea of a trip to Spain. Teddy, though, is upbeat.
No comments:
Post a Comment