What just happened?
Football fans around the country flocked to their televisions Wednesday night to catch A-League champions Sydney FC play Liverpool only to find some of the most cringe-worthy pre-match presenting seen in sporting history.
Presenters Jules Schiller, Tegan Higginbotham and Steen Raskopoulos took viewers on a memorable (or forgettable?) half-hour of TV before the match.
The sky box, usually kitted out with modern technology such as touch screens and tablets, was instead equipped with two sturdy whiteboards with cut-out faces to depict each side's line-up.
Schiller, Higginbotham and Raskopoulos presented an energetic preview of the match ahead, mispronouncing Liverpool striker Milan Baros' name as "Milos Baros" and pulling together a skit where they all texted former Socceroo Harry Kewell asking him a variety of questions.
"I guarantee he will write back," Higginbotham said after texting the 38-year-old "you called, who is dis?"
Higginbotham revealed she didn't get a response from Kewell, but was told by her mum she had lipstick on her teeth for the entire pre-game coverage.
To make matters worse, ABC2's halftime reporter, clad in a fresh Sydney FC jersey, asked a fan what his favourite "possession" was before sheepishly covering himself by saying, "I've been possessed with the spirit of football. I love it, I bet you love it at home, too."
It was so cringe-worthy it had to have been a joke, but we're not sure, news.com.au reported.
Former Socceroo and Fox Sports commentator Robbie Slater was horrified, writing in a series of tweets: "Who thought this was a good idea FFA! This is unforgivable and I and every supporter of our game would like an answer! This is what happens when people who have none or little knowledge of football make decisions! Embarrassing. I love our game and to have it bagged and disrespected by this coverage is unacceptable. How can we work so hard for 12 years and allow this to happen in front of a world audience!"
Thanks for your thoughts everyone ! I think we are for the most agreed ! Now we need answers ! #LIVSYD #unacceptable
— Robbie Slater (@RobbieSlater17) May 24, 2017
Fans also exploded, slamming the network for "wasting their taxes" on the disappointing hosts. Some even went as far as labelling them the "worst football hosts in history".
Schiller offered this response on Twitter: "Learnt that to be centre of a Twitter hate storm it's a worse crime to do badly reviewed sports coverage than propose blowing up ABC staff. Comments noted Twitter. I'll always love football and its passion. (Pity I couldn't write this on a whiteboard). Love Jules x."
Fans also questioned why the network didn't enlist popular football show presenters Santo, Sam and Ed - best known for their stellar coverage of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa on their show Cup Fever.
Comedians and a whiteboard for @ABC2's expert, high-tech #SYDvLIV coverage ...
— Jason Whittaker (@thetowncrier) May 24, 2017
Horrendous! Make it stop! .@ABC2 pic.twitter.com/WBuh4IBPPA
— Dan Howe (@howedan) May 24, 2017
If any Liverpool officials are watching the @ABC2 pre game stuff they will probably never come back. So disrespectful, treating it as a joke
— Dale Westover (@DaleWestover) May 24, 2017
"Sooo you guys organised the hosts right?"
— James Healey (@jameshealey12) May 24, 2017
ABC2: .... #livsyd #ABC2 pic.twitter.com/Kfaa3bjePs
ABC2 #livsyd pic.twitter.com/ygRCtf2mqs
— Mitch Booth (@mitchbooth7) May 24, 2017
If ever a team was going to give Sydney FC a football masterclass this season it had to be an English Premier League heavyweight like Liverpool. Even if it was only an end-of-season game, played after a fortnight of A-League celebrations and when the off-season holidays beckoned for Graham Arnold's champions.
Nonetheless the Reds, fresh from sealing their return to the Champions League, ran riot to topple the Sky Blues 3-0 at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night. One had to only look at Liverpool's line-up to realise this was the very definition of an exhibition match.
Of the players that started their final Premier League game against Middlesbrough on Sunday only three were in the XI against Sydney - Dejan Lovren, Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge.
Included were two retirees in Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, jokingly referred to as "pundits" by merry manager Jurgen Klopp pre-game. Not that it bothered the jovial sea of red in the stands, who erupted into cheers when club legend Gerrard took a corner.
The crowd of nearly 73,000 offered not even a whiff of home support to Sydney, who deployed a strong line-up despite missing key imports Milos Ninkovic and Jordy Buijs and the departed Filip Holosko, and gave youngsters a run off the bench.
But for all the talk of Liverpool's near-ludicrously late arrival, it was hard to pick which team had just hopped off a 24-hour flight 11 hours prior.
The Reds started fast, Sturridge scoring the eighth-minute opener when he bamboozled Alex Wilkinson in the box before firing the ball past Danny Vukovic and inside the far post.
Firmino's every touch was class and there was no finer example than when the Brazilian chipped a lofted pass for Alberto Moreno to volley home with equal precision for the visitors' second.
Sturridge, who managed a paltry three Premier League goals this season, did all the work for Liverpool's third with a cross that took a fortunate deflection off Wilkinson and then struck Firmino before nestling into the net.
The closest the Sky Blues came to getting one back was when David Carney hit the woodwork on the tick of halftime and young substitute Will Mutch fluffed his lines late one with the goal at his mercy.
However, the heat was mostly on a quick-thinking Vukovic.
Before the break there'd already been two Reds penalty shouts, including one very dubious Rhyan Grant elbow to the back of Gerrard that prompted a gesticulating, tracksuited Klopp to take it up with referee Peter Green as the players went down the tunnel at halftime.
Sydney started the second half brightly and substitute Matt Simon had a field day, distributing the ball well under pressure and forcing Simon Mignolet into a diving save, but there would be no answer from the Sky Blues.
Auckland City have been a symbol of excellence in New Zealand for nearly two decades.