February 20, 2008

(SINGAPORE)

Sleeping in the NTU Common Room for Champions League Action

Rather than waking up at 3:45 am to watch the Arsenal vs. AC Milan match alone in my hotel room, I decided to organize a small party in the NTU common room where I once spent countless hours watching Arsenal matches. Maybe I was being nostalgic, or maybe I just wanted to party: there was Tiger beer, Absolut Vodka, plus countless munchies and mixers. By the time the game rolled around there were 20 people crammed in the small room, but there was only 15 minutes to catch up with everyone because once the match started we all became dead-serious.

Unfortunately, the score line did not turn out as I had hoped: Arsenal drew 0-0 with title-holders AC Milan in a thrilling encounter at the Emirates Stadium in London. In truth, Arsenal deserved to take a 1-0 advantage away from the game - Adebayor even smacked a header against the crossbar, with the goalie beaten, in the final minute of the game - but it will all come down to the second leg at Milan's imposing San Siro Stadium. The positives for the night are how well the team played, dominating AC Milan for stretches of time, and the fact that Milan were not able to score a crucial away goal, which counts more than an home goal. So, with either a 1-0 or 1-1 draw in Milan, Arsenal will go through to the semi-finals. The second leg will be on March 5th.

Oh, and one last thing: I am part of a select minority of people in the world who would willingly give up the plush luxuries of a 5-star hotel for the dank miseries of a university common room couch just so I could watch a sporting event with friends.