FRANKFURT IS CHAMPIONS AGAIN

 

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In April, 2022 when Eintracht Frankfurt knocked out F.C. Barcelona in Camp Nou, everyone realized that this Frankfurt team is a special team which can achieve anything. However their performance in Bundesliga did not do justice to their caliber as they finished 11th in the league. 

But, this did not stop break their morale and they went on fighting every single game which came their way in the Europa League. After knocking out FC Barcelona in the quarter finals and West Ham in the semi-finals they faced Rangers in the final.

And Boy! What a match it was. Both sides fought hard and the match went into the penalties.  Eventually Frankfurt succeeded in winning their second Europa League title. 

Furthermore with this Europa League win, Frankfurt has now qualified for next year's Champions League. Its gonna be an interesting season next year. 

THE SPECIAL ONE IS BACK

 

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In May, 2017 Jose Mourinho lifted his second Europa League trophy with Manchester United. Since then a lot of things changed. In the next season, Manchester United finished second in the league and were also runners up in that year's F.A. Cup competition.  However after a poor start in the 2018 season, Mourinho was sacked by the authorities of Manchester United.  The next year he joined Tottenham Hotspurs, but was sacked just before the League Cup final.

It appeared that Jose Mourinho's career is coming to an end. But then Jose did what he always does. He made an incredible comeback. In 2021 he joined AS Roma as a manager. AS Roma back then was  in shambles. They had not won a silverware since 2008. 

However in the very first season, Jose Mourinho ended the 14 years trophy drought and AS Roma lifted the inaugural UEFA Conference League trophy. Furthermore AS Roma's win made Mourinho first manager who has won UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and also UEFA Conference League.  It is further pertinent to note that this is Jose Mourinho's 5th European title which is a record in itself. 

You never write off the Special One. 

GOOD BYE SUAREZ

 

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In the 2019-20 season, Barcelona went trophy less. As a result it was certain that many players will lose their place in the Barcelona side. However no one expected that Barcelona will release their striker Luis Suarez. Every Barcelona fan was in state of shock. Even Lionel Messi could not believe it. 

There were speculations that he will join Juventus, but eventually Suarez joined rivals Atletico Madrid on a two years contract. And what an impact he created. Suarez scored 21 goals in his first season and helped Atletico win La Liga after 7 long years. Furthermore in the 2nd season he scored 11 league goals and helped Atletico qualify for next year's Champions League. 

Eventually in May 2022, Suarez played his last game for Atletico and Boy! What a reception he got. The Atletico Madrid fans sung in the honor of the striker who helped them win La Liga after 7 years. It was an emotional moment for everyone as with this the Spanish stint of Uruguayan sniper has come to an end.  

MY LIFE AS A REFUGEE: A REVIEW

 

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In the year 2017, Liverpool released a 22 minutes documentary on their player Dejan Lovren. Lovren was born to Bosnian Croat parents in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However they were forced to flee from their native place because of the Bosnian war. Post this their family settled in Germany. However due to lack of proper documentation they were forced to leave Germany and they eventually settled in Croatia. 

The documentary captures the struggle faced by Lovren in his initial days and how despite all  difficulties he became a top footballer. As a result I will say its a must watch documentary for every football fan irrespective of the fact that they are Liverpool supporter or not. 

Link of the documentary is available here.    

THE BEST OF VILLARREAL

 

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In the previous post we have discussed about how Villarreal stunned the Italian heavyweights Juventus at their home and marched forward to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. In the quarterfinals they were facing the mighty Bayern Munich. As a result no one gave them a chance. However, in the first leg itself the minnows again created an upset when they beat the German giants 1-0. But, still everyone expected that Munich will definitely make a comeback in their home leg and would march into the semi-finals. In the 52nd minute of the game, Lewandowski scored the opening goal and the aggregate score now read 1-1.  However in the 88th minute of the game, Samuel Chukwueze scored the equalizer and the minnows were leading the tie again. Munich failed to score a second goal and were thus knocked out of the Champions League. The impossible was done. 

In the semi-finals, the Villarreal side faced Liverpool. Against the English giants Villarreal tried their best, but failed to reach into the finals of the UEFA Champions League. Even though they were knocked out by the Liverpool, but still their journey in the Champions League is nothing less than a fairytale.  

WELL DONE BOYS

 

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Last night was a heartbreak for every Chelsea fan as they lost the F.A. Cup final to Liverpool on penalties at Wembley. In February this year they lost the League Cup final to Liverpool on penalties at the very same venue. Apart from that in April 2022, they went down fighting against Real Madrid in the UCL Quarterfinals. So it can be said that this season has been full of heartbreaks for every Chelsea supporter and player.

However the way players have played in these conditions is something which deserves a big round of applause. Amidst so much of uncertainty the player as well as the manager did not lose heart and fought till the very end. This season might not have been that great for us. But, we all believe in our players and manager. Hope the next season will be better for us. Till then, well done boys. You have made us all proud.   

THE LONE WARRIOR

 

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In August 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo returned back to Old Trafford after 12 long years. It seamed that Manchester United will now return back to its glory days when it used to win titles for fun. However the same did not happen.  Ronaldo gave his best and scored more than 20 goals across all competitions this season for Manchester United.  However no other player supported him much. Barring David De Gea every Manchester United player's performance was below par this season.  

As a result Manchester United's trophy drought has now continued for 5 seasons.  Furthermore the Red Devils have also failed to qualify for next year's champions league. It has turned out to be a season which no Manchester United fan would like to remember. 

But, at the end of the day one thing which has been proved is that football is a team sport. One or two players cannot win it on their own.