LFC on the road - 2008-2009 season
Ethiopia
Most of the 2008-09 season was spent in the UK with the exception of a two week trip to Ethiopia in early April. This was a crucial time for LFC however with the team engaged in a fight for the league title as well as being in yet another Champions League quarter final against the usual opponents. First game of the trip was away to Fulham with three points necessary to keep up the pressure on United. No chance to see it however as we were trekking in the Simien Mountains, away from any contact with the world. After scaling one of the peaks however, I got some phone coverage and received a text saying a late Benayoun goal had given us a 1-0 victory. Standing on the roof of Africa and top of the league!!
Most of the 2008-09 season was spent in the UK with the exception of a two week trip to Ethiopia in early April. This was a crucial time for LFC however with the team engaged in a fight for the league title as well as being in yet another Champions League quarter final against the usual opponents. First game of the trip was away to Fulham with three points necessary to keep up the pressure on United. No chance to see it however as we were trekking in the Simien Mountains, away from any contact with the world. After scaling one of the peaks however, I got some phone coverage and received a text saying a late Benayoun goal had given us a 1-0 victory. Standing on the roof of Africa and top of the league!!
Date: 08/04/09 Game: Champions League Quarter Final vs Chelsea (H)
Location: Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
I had pestered our tour leader for days to see if he knew a place to watch the first leg of the Champions League quarter final against Chelsea at Anfield. On the day we were in Bahir Dar, a nice town on the southern tip of Lake Tana. Our tour leader Misgana, myself and a few of the group headed out after dinner to a bar/hotel that was showing the game. We arrived just in time to see Torres put Liverpool one up but it was all downhill after that. Chelsea scored three times, much to the pleasure of most of the locals there and Misgana who announced he was a Chelsea fan. Drogba is revered by many Africans so they probably didn’t take kindly to the abuse I slung his way during the game but it was one of those games.
Date: 11/04/09 Game: Premier League vs Blackburn Rovers (H)
Location: Pacific Bar, Bole Lifleketema, Addis Ababa
By the following Saturday, we were back in Addis Ababa and it was the last day of the tour. When we had driven to our hotel from the airport two weeks previously, I remembered seeing football on a screen in a bar down the road so decided to check it out on the off chance the league game against Blackburn would be on. The Pacific Bar turned out to be an excellent sports bar with several screens including a big projection screen and Ethiopian lager on draft. A torrential downpour at half time shorted out the satellite system but the manager worked feverishly to get it back in time for the second half. The game itself was a stroll but a very enjoyable one with Torres opening the scoring with a screamer, one of his finest goals.
Location: Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
I had pestered our tour leader for days to see if he knew a place to watch the first leg of the Champions League quarter final against Chelsea at Anfield. On the day we were in Bahir Dar, a nice town on the southern tip of Lake Tana. Our tour leader Misgana, myself and a few of the group headed out after dinner to a bar/hotel that was showing the game. We arrived just in time to see Torres put Liverpool one up but it was all downhill after that. Chelsea scored three times, much to the pleasure of most of the locals there and Misgana who announced he was a Chelsea fan. Drogba is revered by many Africans so they probably didn’t take kindly to the abuse I slung his way during the game but it was one of those games.
Date: 11/04/09 Game: Premier League vs Blackburn Rovers (H)
Location: Pacific Bar, Bole Lifleketema, Addis Ababa
By the following Saturday, we were back in Addis Ababa and it was the last day of the tour. When we had driven to our hotel from the airport two weeks previously, I remembered seeing football on a screen in a bar down the road so decided to check it out on the off chance the league game against Blackburn would be on. The Pacific Bar turned out to be an excellent sports bar with several screens including a big projection screen and Ethiopian lager on draft. A torrential downpour at half time shorted out the satellite system but the manager worked feverishly to get it back in time for the second half. The game itself was a stroll but a very enjoyable one with Torres opening the scoring with a screamer, one of his finest goals.
