Saturday, August 09, 2003  

After all the hype, the line, the scalpers and all the sordid party details in the papers, Real Madrid finally played their match. And it was well worth all the hassle and effort. Aside from coughing up HK$1200 (US$154) for $500 (US$64) tickets, we also arrived there three hours before kick-off because seating wasn't reserved... and people had been lining up for good seats for two days. And despite the evening kick-off, the same oppressive heat we experienced during the Liverpool match was there (just without the danger of sunburn). Still, it was worth it.



The picture above gives a decent example of the view we had. Basically, the only place we could find enough seats for everyone (around fourteen people in all) was really, really high up in the stands... so we just moved right to the top row, by the centre line, to ensure a good view of everything and catch the breeze (essential on a hot day). And it really wasn't all that bad. You get a unique view up there. HK's Stadium really isn't that big (only holds 40,000 people) so you're still close enough to make out the numbers on the back of shirts, but far enough out that you can see virtually the whole pitch at once. It's a great tactical view because you really get to see the things you can't catch from TV (or from closer to the pitch), like the general shape of the teams, how they hold their defensive lines, off-the-ball runs, and the general effort each player puts in.

Speaking of effort, I really wasn't expecting much from the game. Friendlies in general are slow and mundane affairs, notable more for the fact that you're seeing Player X in the flesh than the actual match action, and Real's previous two friendlies in Beijiing and Tokyo were rather workmanlike performance. Omens were good before kick-off though with Real's starting lineup having their complete first-choice XI on view for the first time: Casillas, Salgado, Pavon, Helguera, Roberto Carlos, Makalele, Figo, Beckham, Zidane, Ronaldo, Raul. It's an awesome, star-studded lineup. I joked that they were the Harlem Globetrotters of our time, and they lived up to it in a lightning opening ten minutes that saw them score twice and have another goal disallowed for offside. For the most part, they were really trying to put on a show, playing fancy one-twos, backheels, flicks and spins. Even Ronaldo -- the laziest of the bunch, refusing to run off the ball and never even close to 100% -- managed to score a great goal, running at the defender, doing a few stepovers and flashing the ball into the near corner.

Hong Kong managed to pull a goal back, much to the delight of the crowd. Having said that, it's not like they were actually rooting for HK; it's a curious bit of crowd behaviour unique to a place like HK. You see, everyone came to see Real Madrid, everyone loves Real Madrid, so everyone's rooting for Real Madrid. But everyone also likes an underdog, particularly when the underdogs are your own people shaming the world's best, so they get cheered on. But when Real score... well, they cheer loudly too. And they did when Ronaldo struck again and Raul -- one of my favourites -- coolly chipped home a fourth. He's an incredibly natural finisher and it was Raul at his finest there (he also does a lot of work tracking back to defend, but you never really notice it until you watch a game). Real were dazzling in attack but poor at the back and managed to concede a second goal to HK after some sloppy defending leave the half-time score at a boggling 4-2.



The great game was a bonus, because everyone just came to see the stars. Actually, just one star: David Beckham. We all wanted to see him take one of his trademark free-kicks, and when Real got a free kick near the edge of the area (ironically drawing arguably the loudest cheer of the night), Becks stepped up to take -- and miss -- the free-kick, as photographed above. And though it was great to see the world's most famous footballer, and see him hit one of his classic 60 yard passes (from the high angle it was spectacular), he wasn't the reason to go. Nor was Raul's finishing, Ronaldo's acceleration, the sheer energy and SPEED of Roberto Carlos (again best viewed from up high) or the class of Figo. It was Zidane. Zinedine Zidane was, in a word, unreal. Everything he did was magic. His feet are insanely quick, but crucially so is his brain. Tackles were flying in and Zidane can sidestep them, control the ball and flick a perfect pass to a teammate every time. He spun and pirouetted at will. He surged past defenders. His control was flawless. Every pass -- be it a 40-yard long ball to a quick tiny flick -- was accurate. Before the game, I thought Zidane was definitely a great player, and one of the best in the world. Now, I believe him to be the best without a shadow of doubt. I wasn't alone in commenting after the match that Zidane alone was worth the inflated ticket price.



The second half could never match the first, and despite Real missing a string of chances (from Raul hitting the bar from the halfway line to Ronaldo hitting it from six yards out to Portillo missing an open goal) the game slowly petered out into the dull spectacle we saw in Beijing and Tokyo. Which, ultimately, was what we came for anyway. And what a great setting for it -- check out the HK skyline peeking out from behind the stand in the picture above!

The night almost got all the more spectacular later on when -- on another tip-off -- word was that Ronaldo would make a post-match appearance at posh members-only nightclub Kee Club. I sped home, showered, and headed out for Kee (this time with friends in tow) but Ronaldo was nowhere to be seen. We weren't the only ones fooled though, since Cable News broke the news on-air and caused a media and fan scrum outside Kee Club's entrance. Though everyone was disappointed not to see Ronaldo or any of the other players, we still had a great night at Kee, Dragon-i, Backroom and (of course) Insomnia. I met a few people from CNN (some of which I vaguely knew from my internship last summer), including one of their Atlanta anchors, and we all partied until 6am. A spectacular night all around.

Posted at 8:01 PM

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