So in my post right after the match, I said that 70,000 fans turned up for the Liverpool vs Malaysia match, but according to reports, it was a full-house of 80,000 people that filled up the National Stadium this past Saturday. And I can bet that every single one of them went home more than fully satisfied with the match and result. I know I was!
I actually arrived late for the game. Noooo, not on purpose! Believe it or not, it was a working weekend for me as I had to attend an industry retreat in KL. The day's session went on longer than expected, which resulted in us leaving the hotel about an hour before the game started. Taking the MEX highway saved us some time, but traffic was at a standstill after the turn-off leading to the stadium.
Not to take any more risks, I parked the car on the side of the highway a few hundred metres from Endah Parade and walked all the way to the Stadium. Should have switched on the Nike+ GPS app, but I think we must have at least walked 1.5km!
As we approached the stadium, we heard the thunderous cheers of the fans as the first whistle blew. We wasted a few more minutes looking for the proper entrance, but when we finally got inside, I was blown away by the sea of red we saw all around the stadium!
Seriously, it was awesomer than I imagined. And the best part was: everyone was cheering for BOTH teams!
The first goal came via a penalty scored by Liverpool's new signing Charlie Adam. But the fans weren't too happy about how the penalty came about as Andy Carroll was seen as diving. To be honest, I didn't see the incident (probably I was trying to tweet), so I can't really judge.
But just before halftime, the fans really went bonkers when Malaysia equalised through a superb freekick by captain Safiq Rahim!
The floodgates opened in the second half though as as both sides traded goals. And as you already know, Liverpool beat Malaysia 6-3 after 90mins. So there was a lot to cheer about.
Looking around, it was interesting to see a very diverse crowd. Young and old, of all races came in their Liverpool and/or Malaysia jersey and had an amazing time.
I was decked in the new Liverpool 3rd kit and the most memorable part of the night for me was when the fans started singing "You'll never Walk Alone" as the Reds went to collect their "winners trophy". Seriously, I still have goosebumps just thinking about it now.
My other notes:
* The stadium announcer drew some laughs when he mispronounced David N'Gog's name as "David Ngookkkk..." Haha
* And if I wasn't wrong, he also called Dirk Kuyt, "Dick Cute"!
* There were some Arsenal fans around, but none in Manure jersey
* "King" Kenny Dalglish wasn't at the stadium as he had to return to the UK early. Bummer
* Stadium management has to do something about the exit at the Red Gate as stalls obstructed the way and could have caused an ugly incident as people pushed their way out
* Liverpool played two different teams either side of the half, giving everyone a glimpse of their favourite stars. Including SotiriosKyriagkos and Christian Poulsen! (sheesh)
