LIVERPOOL VS THAILAND

Last week I went to see Liverpool FC play the Thai National Team, it was awesome. My friend Colin, who lives in San Francisco and has been biking around Thailand for the last month or so, scored some tickets for 300 baht a piece, that's like less then ten bucks. So last Wednesday after work, I met up with Colin and his friend Gwen, and after dinner the three of us took off for Rajamangala Stadium, Thailand's largest sports arena. Our tickets were in the open seating section, but we managed to score a spot with a pretty good view. We sat next to a friendly Thai man and his son, he passed us a few beers and urged his son to practice his English with us, but he was too shy.

Liverpool scored less than six minutes into the game on a beautiful goal by Ryan Babel. After that I thought for sure that it was giong to be long game for Thailand, but they held on for the rest of the first half, and actually played Liverpool very evenly. I was impressed by Thailand's level of play. And in the second half, in the 72nd minute, Thailand's number 17, Sutee, scored the equalizer on an amazing give-and-go that sliced the Liverpool defence. The stadium erupted! The crowd's excitement was met soon after by a sudden downpour and some hefty winds, umbrella's started to pop open and spectators began to leave by the handful. Thai people really don't like rain. But those that stuck it out were treated by the much anticipated substitution of the Spaniard Fernando Torres in the 80th minute. Not only is my sister in love with Fernando Torres, but he's also one of the best strikers in the world. The game ended in a draw, and even though Torres didn't score, he had a bunch of chances, and it was amazing to see how the game changed with him playing up front. That's him in the picture on the right, hurdling the goalkeeper. Good times.