We football fans are the luckiest in the world. There is a reason why Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid are some the biggest brands in the world. There is a reason why you cant go a week without seeing a kid in either a Messi or Ronaldo kit. There is a reason we bleed "red" or "blue", and when someone questions it is quite easy to defend beloved sport. But neither of those reasons are the answer to why we are the luckiest fans in the world. We are the luckiest fans in the world because we get to watch our giants battle it out in some of the biggest games ever played and unlike most sports when the black swans play, when our underdogs take the pitch, bloody hell we are in for a good game of football. This couldn't have been proved more accurate than with yesterday's rounds of the Spanish Copa Del Rey and the FA Cup that took place.
As the home side Levante looked to turn around a 0-2 aggregate at the kickoff of the second leg against Malaga it appeared things were going to be even harder despite home field advantage, for the only thing you could see on screen was a sea of empty seats. Young Portuguese striker Ricardo Horta also had no problem reminding Levante who last scored against them when the two side met just a few days ago as he slipped one into the back of Jesus Fernandez's net, adding to their aggregate lead in the 22nd minute. Almost 15 minutes later they doubled their lead once more as Jose Recio added his name to the score sheet in the 38th minute. As the half came to a close it seemed Malaga had done their part in securing their spot in the next round of the Copa. I myself was ready to congratulate Malaga on their strong performance and their advancement in the tournament as the second half came to a start. It seemed impossible that the home side could turn around a two goal deficit let alone turn the aggregate but the joke was on me and Malaga both. Levante manager Lucas Alcaraz made a tactical switch almost right away as he brought in striker David Barral in the 61st minute of play, After that things happened so quickly, if you were to blink you surely would have missed something. Shortly after being subbed in Barral found the back off the net as caught Malaga's defense off guard, having took advantage of a sleeping Malaga while subbing in a player of their own. It seemed a simple mistake, one that wouldn't happen again, but it apparently Barral cut Malaga's defense deeper than it appeared on screen for five minutes later he struck again, netting his second against the sensational Mexican goalkeeper Ochoa. The wound seemed to spread as Ochoa continued to be tested and the clock couldn't end fast enough for Malaga. Levante once more undid their opponents defense in the 85th minute, this time Juanfran Garcia was the one to celebrate. Just like that Levante had took the lead 3-2. Sadly for the home side it wouldn't prove to be enough as they didn't have enough time and Malaga had the away goal advantage. Levante proved to be relentless and put up an admirable fight, leaving everyone watching on the edge of their seats. Had they had an extra ten minutes who knows, it could have been Levante sneaking through.
It seemed only fair to start with the Spanish affair first since everyone, though I don't necessarily agree, seems to have the opinion that there is more competition in England than there is elsewhere in Europe. Still England has its underdogs and there is no better competition for them to shine than the FA Cup and while Everton and West Ham are not exactly bottom of the table in league competition, they're also not everyone's first choice in winning the FA Cup. That's why this is the competition for them and after the performance yesterday its hard to decide which one of these two teams actually shined brighter. Though both sides started off strong it took awhile before either team saw a break through, the first half ending level at nil-nil. While goals from both sides seemed promising I don't think anyone could have predicted what was to come in the second half. West Ham broke first with Enner Valencia in the 51st minute. Soon after Everton looked to be in trouble as Aiden McGready was shown red for his second yellow of the game, leaving his side to fend off a promising West Ham who seemed eager to score more. This wasnt going to be allowed as Everton subbed in the ever promising Kevin Mirallas who found them the equalizer late on and as the teams remained level at the end of regulation time it seemed it would have to be settled in extra-time. Everton might have been a man down but that didnt damage their determination as Mirallas continued to be a contributing factor as he sent a low pass into the box for Lukaku to stun the home side and take the lead. Having been a goal down and a man down and coming back to take the lead in extra time seemed reason enough to hope to see Everton through but we all know that's not how the beautiful game works, and proved to be true as West Ham took their turn to even out the scoreline. Even with players exhausted chances continued to come for both teams but not before time could run out and with the score 2-2 it meant penalties. As if the game couldn't get interesting enough the shootout ended 9-8 with West Ham goalkeeper Adrian scoring the winning penalty kick for his team.
We are the luckiest fans in the world. For every person who doubts it, for every person who misses out on games like these, I truly am sorry.
-Til next time, this is The Final Whistle.
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