Liverpool fans will have been grinning from ear to ear upon seeing Luis Garcia’s online reaction to a dramatic encounter in the Women’s World Cup today.
Defending champions USA were eliminated in the round of 16 after a 5-4 penalty shootout defeat to Sweden, with the winning kick from Lina Hurtig having crossed the goalline by millimetres, as verified by VAR (BBC Sport).
The Hawkeye screenshot showing the slenderness of the margin by which it went over the line was tweeted by ESPN FC, with former Reds player Luis Garcia putting his own cheeky take on the extraordinary conclusion to the shootout.
The Spaniard retweeted the image with the four-word reply ‘Looks in for me…’, along with a relieved face and ghost emojis.
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Liverpool supporters will immediately get the reference, namely Garcia’s winning goal against Chelsea in the 2005 Champions League semi-final at Anfield, when his shot crept over the line despite William Gallas’ best efforts to clear the ball in time.
The characteristically bitter Jose Mourinho infamously dubbed it the ‘ghost goal‘, despite an impartial motion analysis expert Dr Mike Spann verifying its validity.
The Blues could still console themselves by ending their half-century wait for a league title that year, although Rafa Benitez’s Reds had the final say by going on to be crowned champions of Europe.
The manner in which the USA relinquished their grip on the Women’s World Cup after winning the last two editions was an incredibly cruel one for them to take, although Liverpool fans will surely have enjoyed Garcia’s thinly veiled reference to one of his best footballing moments 18 years ago.
You can see the Spaniard’s tweet below, via @luchogarcia14 on Twitter:
Looks in for me… 😌👻®️ https://t.co/QwcHq9Wi5X
— Luis Garcia (@luchogarcia14) August 6, 2023
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones