{"id":6976,"date":"2016-05-06T05:30:57","date_gmt":"2016-05-06T05:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/?p=6976"},"modified":"2016-05-06T10:36:52","modified_gmt":"2016-05-06T10:36:52","slug":"hoping-for-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/hoping-for-victory\/","title":{"rendered":"Hoping for Victory"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/498164718\" target=\"_blank\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.329966% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/498164718?et=b_sDEA84TvBzxs-JJdX13A&amp;viewMoreLink=off&amp;sig=wbCKim4jvHdk4k05PlglsX3-23vPVxa09o5dzsyZx18=\" width=\"594\" height=\"394\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>I remember listening to the radio as Manchester United beat Bayern Munich in extra time to win the 1999 Champions League final. There\u2019s something slightly magical about listening to a game, having to rely on the commentators description of the events unfolding before their eyes, reconstructing it in my mind. Perhaps it\u2019s the extra effort required on my part to \u2018see\u2019 the game, that means it sticks in the memory that much longer.<\/p>\n<p>The Liverpool v. A. C. Milan 2005 final, with that thrilling second half comeback before the penalty shoot out, is another that lives long in the imagination.<\/p>\n<p>And now there\u2019s another game to add to the list. On the face of it there was nothing special about this Premier League Monday-night London derby feature. Except that , this time, if Spurs lost to Chelsea, Leicester \u2013 the team that only months before were 5000\/1 to win the league &#8211; would be champions with two games to spare.<\/p>\n<p>I had listened in on the 1-1 draw that Leicester conjured up at Old Trafford the day before, slightly disappointed that they didn\u2019t get the win there, but still believing they\u2019d wrap it up soon. So Monday evening, as I pottered around the house, I tuned in as Spurs went 2-0 up against Chelsea. Tottenham\u2019s form this year has been stunning, and Chelsea\u2019s has been too, albeit for other reasons. So this was perhaps to be expected.<\/p>\n<p>But then Chelsea pulled one back not long in to the second half and there was a rise in hope that, with just one more goal, tonight would be the night. The tension crept up as the second half progressed. And then Hazard scored; quiet all season but adds a line of his own to the incredible story of Leicester\u2019s indomitable march to victory.<\/p>\n<p>With just a few minutes left of the match, I found my wife and told her what was going on. She paused, looking up from her novel, and smiled. Earlier in the season when I was getting increasingly excited about a potential Leicester victory she told me that she was happy, but that she\u2019d rather wait for the movie complete with the love-story angle added to it.<\/p>\n<p>At 2-2 I could sense Spurs were fighting with everything they had, straining to find a way through and take the challenge to Leicester just a little bit further. The match was being drawn, between two sides I\u2019m usually not that bothered by, yet it felt like Scotland were 1-0 up against England in a Euro final. The clock couldn\u2019t tick down fast enough.<\/p>\n<p>At the final whistle it was done. Leicester had won the Premier League and it felt like the whole world was beaming. I smiled, laughed a little, shock my head and went and told my wife. It was such a beautiful story, and a sorely needed injection of overwhelming genuine affection for the Beautiful Game. Leicester had done something truly remarkable in a world where we even fail to get excited about space travel anymore. Newspapers from countries that don\u2019t even rank football in their top 3 sports <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/05\/01\/sports\/soccer\/how-leicester-city-went-right-side-up.html\" target=\"_blank\">ran headlines<\/a> crammed with enough superlatives to compose a thesaurus.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Could they do it?\u2019 we asked at Christmas. \u2018It is possible?\u2019 We wanted to believe it was possible, we wanted to hope that there was a chance for a team lacking the usually required financial punch, armed instead with grit and team-spirit, to defy the very worst of odds and make history. As the season progressed, the growth in goodwill from near-everyone else was matched only by the rise in belief that it <em>could<\/em> happen.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/499064904\" target=\"_blank\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.498316% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/499064904?et=xFlY5NQsShdzsncnuS4fuw&amp;viewMoreLink=off&amp;sig=T_3f22V2EmH57qRy4Z8uDKo2waLqvn0fOUc7Nisdlso=\" width=\"594\" height=\"395\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>Hope soared on Monday night and carried a team, a city, and a legion of adoptive fans, to swirling heights.<\/p>\n<p>The Bible describes those that know God as people who \u201cdwell in hope\u201d (Acts 2:26, ESV). Leicester\u2019s remarkable achievements on the football pitch inspire and cause us to rejoice, but they also serve to remind us that the human soul is made for hope, to dwell \u2013 to live constantly \u2013 in a state of hope. This hope, from God, is of an assured victory of good over evil, love over hate, life over death.<\/p>\n<p>We see dimly now, but one day we will perceive the unrestrained emotion of triumphant, glorious hope fulfilled across every inch of our lives and throughout the entire world. That\u2019ll be some celebration.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">CHAMPIONS!!!! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pFtvo5XUNx\">pic.twitter.com\/pFtvo5XUNx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Christian Fuchs (@FuchsOfficial) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FuchsOfficial\/status\/727242055995392000\">May 2, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"linkwithin_hook\" id=\"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/hoping-for-victory\/\"><\/div><script>\n<!-- \/\/LinkWithinCodeStart\nvar linkwithin_site_id = 897245;\nvar linkwithin_div_class = \"linkwithin_hook\";\n\/\/LinkWithinCodeEnd -->\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/widget.js\"><\/script>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.linkwithin.com\/pixel.png?w=750\" alt=\"Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...\" style=\"border: 0\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Embed from Getty Images I remember listening to the radio as Manchester United beat Bayern Munich in extra time to win the 1999 Champions League final. There\u2019s something slightly magical about listening to a game, having to rely on the commentators description of the events unfolding before their eyes, reconstructing it in my mind. Perhaps [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<script>\n<!-- \/\/LinkWithinCodeStart\nvar linkwithin_site_id = 897245;\nvar linkwithin_div_class = \"linkwithin_hook\";\n\/\/LinkWithinCodeEnd -->\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/widget.js\"><\/script>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/\"><img src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/pixel.png\" alt=\"Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...\" style=\"border: 0\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[396],"tags":[1254,83,101,1253,1252,269],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/hopingfor-victory.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7PoLK-1Ow","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1524,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/uncategorized\/robs-round-up-15\/","url_meta":{"origin":6976,"position":0},"title":"Rob&#8217;s Round Up","date":"31 May 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Manchester United had to make do with the Premier League title this year as they were outclassed by Barcelona in the Champions League final at Wembley. Although Wayne Rooney equalised Pedro\u2019s opener before the break, Lionel Messi and David Villa made it 3-1 to the Spanish champions in a dominant\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"fear\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1702,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/uncategorized\/robs-round-up-24\/","url_meta":{"origin":6976,"position":1},"title":"Rob&#8217;s Round Up","date":"29 August 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Manchester\u2019s big two laid bare their Premier League title credentials with crushing victories over strong opposition. United responded to City winning 5-1 at Tottenham by thrashing Arsenal 8-2 at Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney scored a hat-trick for the defending champions after Edin Dzeko bagged four for their city rivals. They\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Blog\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2332,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/the-bouras-bulletin\/the-bouras-bulletin-9\/","url_meta":{"origin":6976,"position":2},"title":"The Bouras Bulletin","date":"5 March 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Andre Vilas-Boas was sacked as Chelsea manager after just ninth months in charge in the aftermath of his side\u2019s 1-0 defeat away to West Brom. The club\u2019s owner Roman Abramovich lost patience with his man after a poor run of form which sees the side fifth in the Premier League\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bouras Bulletin&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1343,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/uncategorized\/rob-barnetts-sports-round-up-31_01_11\/","url_meta":{"origin":6976,"position":3},"title":"Rob Barnett&#8217;s Sports Round Up","date":"31 January 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Andy Murray suffered the heartbreak of a third Grand Slam final defeat as he lost the Australian Open decider to Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Murray, who also fell at the final hurdle in the 2008 the US Open and last year\u2019s Australian Open - both times to Roger Federer,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"andy murray\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1480,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/uncategorized\/robs-round-up-11\/","url_meta":{"origin":6976,"position":4},"title":"Rob&#8217;s Round Up","date":"3 May 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The Premier League title-race is alive and kicking after Chelsea closed the gap on leaders Manchester United to three points ahead of their meeting at Old Trafford on Sunday, the first of three remaining league games for both. Chelsea put pressure on United by beating Tottenham 2-1 on Saturday in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Blog\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3056,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/the-bouras-bulletin\/the-bouras-bulletin-35\/","url_meta":{"origin":6976,"position":5},"title":"The Bouras Bulletin","date":"17 September 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Manchester United moved to within a point of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table with a thumping 4-0 win over Wigan at Old Trafford. Javier Hernandez missed a penalty inside the first five minutes and Wigan kept their opponents at bay for the rest of the half\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bouras Bulletin&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6976"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6976"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6989,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6976\/revisions\/6989"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}