Football and its lessons

What a marvellous two nights of Champions League football.
I'm so glad i caught every min of it.
Even tho i only had 7 hrs of sleep for 2 days.
Totally worth it.
It reminds me of why i had become so passionate about football in the first place.
Nothing beats the feeling of playing a good soccer game.
Or watching one for that matter.
Other than adrenalin or euphoria,
There were some lessons that we ought to recognise and learn.
1st, from the chelsea game.
Ranieri cried when chel scored their second goal as well as during the final whistle.
We are never too old to cry.
Guys are incessantly indoctrinated from young that crying is a sign of weakness and effeminateness.
Gals quickly learnt that tears are their best weapon against guys.
It has multi-purposes.
Can be used to get any material thing they want.
Can be used to get someone to forgive them.
Can be used to make others guilty.
Can be used to show they are sensitive.
Can be used to elicit concerns/sympathy for them.
Can be used to shift the blame onto the victim.
Etc...
Actually the 1st lesson is not abt crying.
It's juz that i feel that crying is a sign that one is comfortable with oneself.
Comfortable enought to let go, even if there are people watching.
It is not a sign of weakness.
Well, i felt for Ranieri and sincerely think he deserved that win over Arse.
Let's get down to the lesson proper.
It's about gritting your teeth and focussing on the immediate when things/pressures swarm from all sides.
Relentless and Unforgiving.
It's about inner strength.
Ranieri certainly had that.
And that inner strength was exemplified by his players as well.
It showed in their dedication, their tenacity, their never-say-die spirit and their willingness to sacrifice for the team.
It's about leadership.
There's no need to be loud and boisterous and authoritative about things.
Calmness and inner strength is all that is needed.
2nd lesson, derived from the Real game.
It's about desire and who wants it more.
Monaco's desire and hunger were there clearly for people to see.
Whereas Real degenerated from a star-studded team to individuals trying to win the game by themselves.
Sometimes, we cant do everything by ourselves.
A team can accomplish more than a single person could.
It'll be better if the team has a shared goal and objective.
That way, everyone is working to achieve the one same goal.
3rd lesson, from the Milan game.
Complacency can get a giant onto his knees.
Complacency can whittle down whatever advantage one has.
Before they knew it, it was all over.
3-0 down at half-time.
Milan havent even had the chance to correct their complacency.
It would fatally wrong to say that Milan lost the game.
Rather, it was Deportivo who had won it.
Again, with their desire and tenacity and some brillant football.
When i looked back and contemplated,
I realised that at times i exhibited the aspects i had discussed above.
Positive and Negative.
I realised too, that nothing is impossible.
If i told people that Milan and Real would not qualify for the semis, i would be branded crazy and stoopid.
Somewhere, along that line, the crazy and impossible happened.
And it was the inner strength, the desire and tenacity that gave the world 2 glorious nights of football.
David beating Goliath.
The stuff of dreams.