By Maung Maung Aye
I am a football fan. I always watch football matches sitting up late to watch matches from different leagues such as La Liga in Spain, Bundesliga in Germany, Calcio in Italy and Premier League in England. I especially prefer to watch Premier League Football matches. I am a delirious fan of Liverpool F.C. Out of 20 football teams which are participating in this season, I like Liverpool the most. I always support Liverpool, whether they win or lose.
I enjoy watching their matches and applaud the team. Especially, I admire M Salah (Striker) most because he can make an excellent delivery of the ball into the net (the goal-posts). He is very quick at breaking through the defensive lines of the opposite teams. The defenders of the opposite teams are always thrown into helter-skelter by his attacks. No matter how hard the defenders try to block him, he manages to score the goals, weaving his way through the footballers of the opposite team. So, his performances can take the breath of the audience away. Due to his outstanding talent, he remains a top scorer of Premier League for some years in a row. Another Liverpool footballer who can catch my attention most is Van Dijk, one of the best defenders in the Premier League. He knows very well how to block the ball carried by the players of the opposite team. He is very strong, fast and tactful. He is very competent in sliding and heading away the ball. So, to the strikers of the opposite team, he appears to be a strong defensive wall difficult to penetrate. Moreover, he always leads the team during the match. Under his leadership, Liverpool won many games and even the Premier League Trophy at the end of the last season. I also like Florian Wirtz, a new winger, who recently transferred from Leverkusen (Germany), because he is good at dribbling, passing the ball and formulating the way of playing. I notice his performances always contribute to the victories of Liverpool over other teams. So, I think he is also a promising player for the team. In this season, Liverpool is struggling to hold fast to the current champion (2025).
Last week, I went to the Dagon University Football Stadium to watch the football match between the Sports Science Team and the Chemistry Football Team, which was scheduled to kick off at 9 am. It was after 8 am when I walked into U Soe Thein’s food stall next to Dagon University Football Stadium. It was congested with many university students waiting enthusiastically to watch the match. I walked straight, sat at an empty table and ordered food. While having breakfast, I looked out at Padauk Road, lined with Padauk trees. Some hostels stood beside this road. I found many students flocking toward the football stadium to support their major’s team.
After I had breakfasted, I drank green tea. Then, I went directly to the stadium, passing through the line of cars that were parked along Padauk Road. Some footballers were warming up in the stadium just before the kick-off. I entered the stadium through the middle gate and walked up to the upper terraces of the grandstand. Some spectators took the seats on the left side of the grandstand and some on the right side, depending on the position of the teams they were to cheer. I took a vacant seat on the left. The university students and some in-charge teachers were eager to watch the soccer competition. Some fans were beating the drums. Some were applauding their team loudly, holding up posters which read’ Our team must win’. The whole stadium was agog and active with a competitive mood. Referees and assistant referees in uniform were sitting at a table near the sideline in the shade of two large umbrellas. Next to them, a Red Cross group was stationed in the shade of a large umbrella. The first lineups of the teams were having their documentary photos taken.
Soon, the footballers filed out onto the field. The shouts of the spectators became louder. The Chemistry Team took the right side, wearing yellow jerseys and green shorts, while the Sports Science Team, on the left side in black and white kits. When they were all ready, the main referee started the match with a loud whistling sound. The Sports Science Team started to pass the ball. After receiving the ball, one of their midfielders ran with the ball through the footballers of the opposite team and delivered it to a left winger, who dribbled it and then dashed it to the main striker. He caught the ball with his right foot and shot it into the left corner of the goal-posts with the slash of his left foot. The goalkeeper of the Chemistry Team managed to defend it by diving out into that corner. Thereupon, he placed the ball before him and passed it to the right defender, who ran with the ball along the edge of the field. The footballers of the Sports Science Team followed him and tried to block him. He dodged them and passed the ball to a midfielder of his team, who wove his way through the defenders of the opposite team and gave the ball to the main striker of his team with his left heel. The striker also jumped up a few feet from the ground and headed the ball away into the goalposts of the Sports Science Team. The ball hit the net, and the whole stadium echoed with the applause of the spectators. From then on, the Sports Science Team intensified its attacks on the Chemistry Team. So, all footballers, except the goalkeeper, went forward simultaneously in the total football style. So, their counterattacks sent the Chemistry Team into chaos. Suddenly, while the footballers were being locked in a wrestle for the ball near the goal area of the Chemistry Team, one of the defenders of the Chemistry Team intentionally gave a kick on the calf of the main striker of the Sports Science Team, making him fall on his face. So, the main referee ran to the offender and showed a yellow card to him. Thus, the Sports Science Team chanced to deliver a free-kick into the goal-posts of the Chemistry Team. The main striker and captain of the Sports Science Team, one of the top scorers, was to deliver the free-kick at a 25 metre-distance from the goal-post. With a great desire to equalize his team, he, having concentrated on the ball and put forth all his efforts, shot it. All the spectators held their breath, and their eyes followed the ball. At first, it seemed to pass just above the upper bar of the goal-posts, but when it neared the goal-posts, it suddenly diverted its course and dropped down and went into the right upper corner of the goal-posts. All of a sudden, the pin-drop silence which had reigned for a few seconds burst out into a roaring applause. The first half ended with 1-1.
After a break, they resumed the game. The footballers made more efforts in the second half. So, throw-ins and fouls were frequent. The yellow cards were often shown. The Sports Science Team earned a corner kick eight minutes after the start of the second half, while the Chemistry Team got a throw-in a few minutes afterwards. In 62 minutes, the Sports Science Team had a clear shooting opportunity, but the Chemistry Team’s goalkeeper made an excellent save.
No team got the upper hand. Despite several attempts, neither team managed to score during the second half. But the Chemistry Team players had greater stamina, and, therefore, although a defender was injured in the 66th minute, he was able to continue playing. The Sports Science created several chances but failed to convert them into goals. The Chemistry Team gradually gained the upper hand and even hit the post in 76 minutes. Substitutions were made by both teams, and more yellow cards were shown as the match grew more violent.
The competition felt like a tug-of-war because some professionals who stood for the Myanmar National League played their best to be able to win. Spectators applauded loudly, waved placards featuring their favourite players, and occasionally jeered at opposing players. Soon after a water break, an injured footballer from the Chemistry Team limped off the field in 80 minutes. Both teams continued to fight until the final whistle. Despite several free kicks and chances, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the players shook hands and left the field. The spectators slowly dispersed from the stadium, excitedly ruminating over the match they had just enjoyed.
In conclusion, the author thinks that, nowadays, football is more than just a game or a sort of sport which creates a sound body and mind. It also opens up a way for young people to make their livelihood. Moreover, it teaches them valuable lessons in cooperation, discipline, and resilience. Moreover, participation in sports helps young people avoid illegal drugs and develop a healthy lifestyle. In addition, the author notices that the football tournament is held at Dagon University twice a year, and some footballers produced by Dagon University become Myanmar-selected footballers who can bring laurels to the country. So, it can be said that the football matches held at Dagon University can contribute considerably to the enhancement of the standard of the sport in Myanmar.
