Liverpool Keeper Fumbles Ball into Goal: Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina began his Premiership season in nightmarish fashion, herding a goal back into his own net in the 90th minute to give visiting Arsenal a 1-1 draw. See the video.
Reina wasn't involved in the shirt pull other than emceeing the event...that was Pique and Puyol. Why would Reina be interest in Cesc going to Barca?
posted by pholcomb at 06:11 PM on August 17, 2010
More than half the Spanish team is made up of Barca players who have spent the last 9 months (conservative) talking about how much Cesc wants to play for Barca, how he has Barca DNA, etc, etc. Essentially tapping him up on behalf of the club. Reina was the emcee, who singled Cesc out of the team, pulled him to the front; and it is obvious he is holding Cesc so Pique and Puyol can play their prank. It looks as if he is in on helping them, and that it was premeditated as if he was asked to do so by Pique and Puyol. As for why he wouldn't want Cesc playing on a rival team in the EPL, I think that is obvious. I think Arsenal beat Liverpool twice last year and drew once. If Cesc is in Spain he isn't captaining a competitor.
posted by scully at 06:54 PM on August 17, 2010
EPL keepers shouldn't make excuses, but he was staring directly into the sun when the ball 1st came in. He was probably seeing spots (or one big spot) as he tried to turn around just after and gather the ball up. Next time he ought to wear a hat - other guys do it.
posted by sbacharach at 07:46 PM on August 17, 2010
As a keeper, there are just times when you are rushing to grab the ball (because you assume that an attacker is going to get the rebound before you) and you take your eye off it for just a half-second, and then this happens.
I've done something almost exactly like that (shot off the post, I turned to grab it as it comes back to me and I fumble it like Reina).
When I watched it happened, I remembered that crushing guilt feeling again.
And I didn't have a dog in that fight (or any EPL game, for that matter).
posted by grum@work at 09:47 PM on August 17, 2010
Reina...if it wasn't for that "manager" Benitez he wouldn't be AT Liverpool to begin with. Benitez comes in and takes over a team that Houllier had put together over a number of years and it was THAT team that won the Champion's League in what is one of my favourite games to watch over and over again.
The keeper for that unbelievable game was Jerzy Dudek, who in reality WON the game for Liverpool. Keeping them in the game with an incredible series of saves from Shevchenko in the 2nd half of overtime and then finally in the penalty kicks. Remember the Dudek Dance?
What other jackass would take the winning goalkeeper OUT of the number 1 spot to put in their countryman?! The guy had NO SHAME!
He then went on to completely dismantle the Liverpool that i loved by bringing in Spaniard after Spaniard, replacing the team that won the Champion's League and at the same time NEVER winning another trophy again!
WHY did Liverpool stay with him for so long?! And Reina was NEVER better than Dudek for me...NEVER. Benitez pissed me off so much over all the years he was in charge that i found myself wishing and hoping that Liverpool would LOSE games so that he would finally get fired and leave my team alone. But his mismanagement and overall incompetence was so bad that i now find myself having trouble to cheer for Liverpool again even after he is gone...
posted by StarFucker at 01:31 AM on August 25, 2010
Poetic justice for Reina's role in pulling the Barca shirt over Cesc's head (You Tube link) during Spain's World Cup celebration.
posted by scully at 06:04 PM on August 17, 2010