Manchester Utd won the Champions League in Moscow, beating Chelsea 6-5 in the final on penalty shoot-out, after the final score after normal time & extra time was 1-1.I saw the all-English final this morning, & was cheering for Chelsea, but sadly, it was Utd who took the trophy. That ruined the plans of Chelsea's wealthy Russian owner Abramovich of seeing his team triumph in his native Moscow. The match was so close, as many predicted correctly. Which is not surprising, given that in the English Premier League, both these teams were neck & neck in the final weeks of the league season before Utd eventually finished on top, just 2 points ahead of Chelsea.
United took the lead when Cristiano Ronaldo headed well from a cross, which was poorly defended by makeshift right-back Essien (who normally plays in central midfield). The London side equalised just before half-time when a deflected shot found Lampard inside the box & he lifted his shot above the advancing keeper & into the net. After scoring, Lampard pointed to the sky, to commemorate the goal to his mother who recently passed away.
There were no further goals during normal time & extra-time. Both sides had other chances to have scored more. Man Utd had shots cleared off the line, while Chelsea hit the post twice & pressure from Ballack almost forced an own goal from a Utd defender. Overall, Chelsea had more shots on goal than Utd. But since neither side managed to score further, the lottery of the penalty shoot-out was needed to decide who lifts the Champions League trophy.
Drogba managed to get himself sent off just minutes before the end of extra-time, so he would take no part for Chelsea in the shoot-out. Both teams scored from their first 2 kicks, but then C Ronaldo had his penalty saved. Both teams then again scored 2 apiece. Chelsea captain John Terry then had the chance to clinch the trophy with Chelsea's fifth kick, but he slipped on the slippery surface (it was raining by then) & his shot hit the post. So it was then on to sudden death, with Utd scoring, Chelsea scoring, then Utd scoring again. Anelka then saw his shot saved, & so 6-5 it was at the end. Utd took the trophy.
I really feel sorry for John Terry, nicknamed "Mr Chelsea" - he was in tears & inconsolable after the shoot-out. How he must really feel. Had he not slipped (& so so unlucky at that) during his penalty, Chelsea would have taken the title. But no one can lay any blame on him. He was brave enough to step up for the penalty. Anyone can miss from the spot. Luck plays a big part in penalty shoot-outs. None of the Chelsea players blamed Terry for the miss. If any Chelsea player is to be blamed for Chelsea's fate, it's Drogba. Had he not been sent off during extra-time, he would most probably been one of the penalty takers. Indeed, it was revealed after the match that Terry was not originally intended to be among the first 5 penalty takers. Ahh, well, we can speculate & talk about it till the cows come home. It won't change a thing.
Well, the gloating from Utd would have commenced long after the shoot-out ended. I didn't want them to win, due to their infamous arrogance & superiority complex. It is said by fans of other clubs that a lot of the Utd fans are such bad winners; they win something, they rub it in the face of others. Oh well, I think I should put on ear plugs every time I walk near a Utd supporter. LOL. But seriously, it looked like Utd's success was fate, because 2008 is the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster, when a signifcant portion of the Utd squad in 1958 died in a plane crash. It is also the 40th anniversary of Utd's first European Cup triumph in 1968 (Champions League was European Cup back then). So, ok, on that basis (especially with the 50th anniversary thing), let them have their moment. Credit to them for their success in the Champions League & English Premier League - great reward for their fine form this season. In any case, I would prefer to think that at least the 2 United players I like, Tevez & C Ronaldo, have winners medals.
Interestingly, for all the talk about Chelsea's dull style of play, I didn't see much of that dullness from them in the final. True, Utd are on the whole a more enterprising side than Chelsea. But in this final, if anything, it was
One thing I don't understand, why is it that people (including sections of the media) portray Chelsea as being all about the money who try to buy success by splashing money to buy players or anything that moves, when United themselves have splurged considerable sums on the transfer market? When United buys, no one says anything, but when Chelsea does the same, people complain about Chelsea throwing their financial weight around. A lot of people resent Chelsea for their wealth, since Abramovich took over. But well, if you have money, are you not entitled to spend some of it?
Anyway, the final was overall a good match. Very sad that Chelsea didn't win. Got undone by the penalties, but hey, sometimes u win em, sometimes u lose em. Football is like that, & u just have to take it in your stride. Better luck to Chelsea next time.
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