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A Weird and Beautiful Story

2018-03-27 · story · John · 3:57 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Sports · mode: Personal essay

To cheer himself up, John tells how Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar's wobbly-legged antics helped win the 1984 European Cup final on penalties, and how 21 years later Jerzy Dudek, urged by Jamie Carragher, danced his own version to win the 2005 Champions League final against AC Milan; sometimes the right decision is the weird decision.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Rough days; the 1984 European Cup final, Roma v Liverpool, and Grobbelaar's wobbly legs

  • ★ John says it has been a rough couple of days, so he wants to cheer himself up by telling a story about a weird and beautiful moment in sports. — 00:00:01
  • ★★ John explains that the 1984 European Cup final (today's Champions League) between Roma and Liverpool ended 1-1 and went to a penalty shootout. — 00:00:09
  • ★★★ Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, an eccentric even for a goalie, feigned wobbly-legged nervousness; a Roma taker skied his penalty and Liverpool won 4-2 on penalties. — 00:00:26

00:00:52 — Jerzy Dudek's career and penalty method; the 2005 final against AC Milan, 3-0 comeback and double save

  • ★★ Jerzy Dudek was a 10-year-old in a Polish coal-mining town in 1984, played for a third-tier Polish team, then moved to Holland and England, joining Liverpool in 2001. — 00:00:52 · England
  • ★★ Goalkeepers practise saving penalties constantly and each learns a method; Dudek's was to stand stock still until half a second before the kick, then jump. — 00:01:16
  • ★★ In the 2005 Champions League final Liverpool trailed AC Milan 3-0 at halftime, outplayed, then scored three goals in a six-minute second-half stretch to tie. — 00:01:40
  • ★★ At the end of extra time Dudek made an incredible double save that he says he does not remember making and cannot explain. — 00:02:21

00:02:32 — The shootout: Carragher's advice, Dudek's dance, Liverpool win; sometimes the right decision is the weird one

  • ★★ Before the shootout, teammate Jamie Carragher told Dudek that 21 years earlier Grobbelaar's crazy-legs act had worked in the European Cup final and urged him to do it. — 00:02:54
  • ★★★ John says there are times to do things exactly as you prepared and practised, and times to listen to Jamie Carragher. (playful) — 00:03:18
  • ★★★ Dudek danced his own version, not knowing Grobbelaar's; Milan's first taker skied over, Dudek saved two of the next four, and Liverpool became European champions again. — 00:03:26
  • ★ John thinks about this moment a lot partly because he is a Liverpool fan, and Liverpool fans are notoriously mired in their own history. (playful) — 00:03:43
  • ★★★ The story reminds John that sometimes the right decision is the weird decision. — 00:03:47

Threads in this video

Mentioned

Central: 2005 UEFA Champions League Final · Bruce Grobbelaar · Jerzy Dudek · Liverpool FC

Also: People: Jamie Carragher

Organizations: AC Milan · AS Roma · UEFA Champions League

Concepts: decision-making

Places: England · Netherlands · Poland

Events: 1984 European Cup final

Also centred on Liverpool FC: Walking the Red Carpet: Thoughts from Los Angeles · The Best Worst Thing · AFC Wimbledon v. Liverpool: Thoughts from the Greatest Game on Earth · On Sharing the Walk · What to Love and How · i like it

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