It was the FA Cup final yesterday.

It’s the oldest national football competition in the world. One of English’s most prestigious cups, or at least it was, with people now much more focused on Champions League qualification due to the financial stability it brings. The FA Cup was and maybe still is highly regarded because of the rich history behind it. But often, people will tell you it’s because of the magic, the FA Cup magic.

Where the unlikeliest comebacks can happen, Where the Davids take down the Goliaths.

6 years back, I wrote about the same exact competition where Arsenal were going to take on Hull City, in an attempt to end its trophy drought of 9 years. Thankfully, we did. And thankfully, we went on to win another 2 more. 1 in 2015 and 1 in 2017.

And every single time, my two friends and I will get together at my friend’s place. The pre-game ritual has always been simple, almost as if it was designed by the stars.

It’s possible dinner, definitely FIFA on the Playstation, most likely McDonald’s chicken nuggets and some form of alcohol. Do we need to wear Arsenal jerseys? Optional. Do we need the chicken nuggets? Yes.

So when Arsenal advanced to the FA Cup final for 2020, I texted my friend about it, whom is now married by the way. So, things have changed. He can’t really have chicken nuggets now as his wife is trying to get him to slim down, which is a good thing. Anyway, I asked him, “So same time and place then with chicken nuggets?” To which he replied, “Hahaha yes! But have to ask my wife” I said, “I know, I know.”

1 day later, he texted in the group, “Green light, green light!!!!”

I was really looking forward to this. It felt like a much needed break with the “boys”. I have been so busy at work that I don’t even know what day it is and sometimes, I have to work the weekends as well.

But a few days ago, my friend texted me to say his wife wasn’t feeling well. As a precaution, we called the thing off and there was that.

No FIFA, no chicken nuggets and no hangout.

Guess what I ended up doing. Yes, working. I actually didn’t even know if I wanted to watch it. I just felt tired and it’s just so much better to watch with friends. Anyway, I ended turning on the TV 10 minutes before the game started. I wanted to watch a bit of the pre-game build up.

I have to be honest. I have not watched much football lately, especially since the restart (it’s what we called the time from when the football competition commenced after all the Covid-19 lockdowns). It feels like a lifetime ago now that players were scared to play football due to the pandemic. There were talk about ensuring the football players all staying together and basically live in a bubble throughout the remaining of the competition, like as if they were puppets and we were the marionettes.

After all the safety protocols and complications were resolved, football restarted again. And of course, no fans were allowed to the stadium. These players were all playing in 40,000 to 70,000 seater stadiums in front of no one. Yesterday, one of the England’s most recognised stadium, Wembly had no one other than staff management, reporters and players. In an attempt to make football look normal, they put huge posters to cover the seats so that it wouldn’t be so jarring to look at an empty stadium. When you watch it on television, the broadcasters have introduced artificial “crowd” noise to dampen the incongruity.

I am glad that football is back. And I get that it is a form of escapism from our current pandemic stricken timeline. But the reality couldn’t be any clearer.

Football was being played in an empty stadium. No seat wrapping or artificial noise can conceal that.

Anyway, the game soon started. And 5 minutes into the match, Arsenal already went behind. Great. Perfect start. Thankfully, we grew into the game, caught up and drew level after scoring a penalty. We were playing some good football too, controlling the game well and were switched on.

7 yellow cards, 1 red card, 1 goal, questionable referee decisions and a gazillion agonizing minutes of extra time later, Arsenal won the FA Cup!

And of course, Arsenal’s number 14 talisman, Aubameyang, scored what eventually turned out to be the winner to win Arsenal their 14th FA Cup in history.

Back when Arsenal won this competition in 2014, I almost cried. After having gone through 9 years of not winning anything, it was such a sweet sweet feeling. And when Arsenal won yesterday, I can’t say I feel that exact same way but I was definitely very happy. It saddens me that the fans can’t be there to celebrate with the players and I wonder if the players feel the same way. And maybe that’s why I didn’t feel as excited or overjoyed. I wasn’t watching it with my friends. I wasn’t watching the fans reacting to the game. With only my own euphoria to draw from, it felt a little flat.

But when I saw the manager running towards the players, when I saw our backup goalkeeper in tears, our talisman fumbling while trying to lift the trophy, and the whole team dancing around in champagne, I am reminded that Arsenal have indeed done something special. In what is our worst season in years after managerial changes, players threatening to leave, our manager becoming one of the first to be tested positive for Covid-19 in the Premier League, football shutdown, numerous losses and just plain 2020 madness and craziness, somehow, we have managed to win a trophy.

What was flat turned into pride for the team, the manager and the players.

And when I was praying at mass just now, I thanked God that we won. I know some might think I am silly. It’s just football after all.

And football can be nasty at times especially when footballers make career ending tackles on each other, when lower league clubs are being bullied by the more famous and influential, when fans get squeezed dry out of their pocket and when people betray each other.

But football in its purest form can be bliss and happiness. Against a backdrop of empty stadiums, seat wrappings, artifical noise and Zoom display of the fans, football can still enable us to “escape” from reality even if it is for just one moment. And even more so now.

It’s already August and we are still in the midst of the pandemic. Everywhere we go, we are reminded of this. The huge amount of space between people, the sanitizers, the QR check ins and the masks. All these forming our depressing backdrop of “when the heck is this pandemic going to end?’ But let’s face it, we are right in the thick of it, there’s no escaping from it. It is the reality that we are living in.

But every now and then, life gives us its purest form. When we seat for dinner with our loved ones. When we call our families more often to check in on them. When we get our morning coffee. When we still have work. When someone makes you laugh. When we funnily try to “blow” our birthday candles without wanting to actually blow them. When the guy in the Zoom call starts lagging and making funny noises. When your partner stuffs up in preparing a home cooked meal. When your favourite restaurant opens again. When your favourite football team wins a match. When we are able to go to church and attend mass.

Just like a trophy, they don’t come nearly as often as we want them to especially during this time. But when they do, we savour them, remember them all the more; these moments of incandescence.

We learn to be more content.

And even though I didn’t manage to watch the match with my friends yesterday and eat all the nuggets we want; we were still able to share a moment of bliss together, when Arsenal won the trophy.

And that for now, is more than enough.