We'll never hear Ng Fong Wing's catchphrase, "Balls are round", again. The phrase that he used as a conclusion to many historic seesaw matches that he commentated upon over the past several decades was a classic. If asked to identify when it was first coined, I would not hesitate to choose the final of the 2005 European Champions League, when Liverpool, after falling behind 0-3, eventually equalised and finally beat AC Milan on penalties. It's such a coincidence that this phrase and match were quoted by the Chief Executive Donald Tsang on different occasions to also encourage Hong Kong people. From that you can probably tell how much of a classic this phrase is.

I still remember that night when a lot of my friends gave up halfway through the match, switched off their TVs and went to bed because they felt that Liverpool's chances of winning were over. On the contrary, I was luckier than them because I woke up during half-time, and saw 0-3 when I switched on the TV. If I hadn't watched from then on I would have missed one of the best moments in football history.

After that match, I thought what made Liverpool rebound? Some believed it was captain Steven Gerrard's charisma and determination, while others felt that the key was Dietmar Hamann's replacement for Steve Finnan. However, I am more inclined to believe that this was the result of psychological chemistry between the two teams. I have experienced the same situation when playing in an extremely amateur game; if I were an AC Milan player and saw my opponents were catching up from a 0-3 disadvantage, I would still play my best, but subconsciously I would feel that my opponent "deserved" to win. This is when the psychological barrier is broken down and the rebound starts.

Oh well, this all sounded very reasonable after the match, but an historic football moment only arose because it was unexpected, and perhaps it all boiled down to the fact that balls are round.

By Tuta

*Translation form Chinese article