UEFA champions league finals

What a champions league this year has had! The Semifinals set the tone for the awesome finals between two english teams for the first time in history. It is the battle between two English giants Manchester united and chelsea. Manchester united edged out chelsea in the English premier league so they were on a higher note but chelsea, who were in their first champions league finals were the experienced side. Moscow was full of reds and blues on may 21.
The quest for conquering Europe was on line......





Cristiano Ronaldo's 42nd goal of the season gave his side a deserved lead. It provided a blend of statistics and style for the show-off with substance, displaying a willingness to monopolise the ball in the sort of display that suggests he is destined for the Ballon D'Or. For all the stepovers, his two most meaningful Champions League goals have been booming headers and the most recent marked a tactical triumph.

There are occasions when Sir Alex Ferguson suppresses his own cavalier instincts in tightly-fought games. This was not one of them. Resisting the temptation to go like-for-like and field three central midfielders enabled United to stretch the first half. Deploying Ronaldo against the auxiliary right-back Michael Essien was justified as the Ghanaian was - for once - found fallible by United's trump card. Chelsea's attempt to crowbar in all his big beasts came at a price, with Essien exposed.

Chelsea's subsequent revival is attributable to their defensive weak link, Essien marauding with intent to prompt the thought of what might have happened if he had been unleashed in midfield. Whereas the first 45 minutes, the passing of Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes was the dominant feature; thereafter it was the control exerted by Lampard and Michael Ballack.

After Lampard levelled, collective willpower, as much as tactics, appeared to change the game. Respect for Chelsea has mounted, not through moments of inspiration, but matches of perspiration. But luck played a huge part it didnt support any team after the first half. Neither team scored any goal in the second half or the extra time.

In the 116th minute came the most important moment of the finals Didier Drogba was shown the red card. Perhaps Chelsea's snarl cost them. A lack of respect for authority can alienate neutrals and a reluctance to accept decisions resulted in the wrong sort of history being made. A dispute over a throw-in turned into a contretemps, and Didier Drogba's stupid slap saw his departure. It may have marked his final contribution to Chelsea. If so, it was a featherweight ending to a heavyweight contribution to Chelsea's greatest team. The man who uses physical force to destroy teams exited for something so childish, and with him went a recognised penalty taker.

It came down to the wire THE PENALITIES. Who wins close games? Manchester united? then you are correct

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was pleased to be the Champions League final penalty shoot-out hero in Moscow - but admitted luck had played a part in his side's victory.

Chelsea captain John Terry had the opportunity to take the European Cup to London for the first time after Cristiano Ronaldo had earlier missed from the spot, but he struck the post after he slipped on a wet pitch at the Luzhniki Stadium.

terry after penalty miss

As the shoot-out went to sudden death, Ryan Giggs converted and the 37-year-old goalkeeper then saved Nicolas Anelka's kick to take the trophy back to Old Trafford for the third time.

After the match Edwin Van der s(t?)ar said "When I lost the Champions League final in 1996 I was heartbroken and didn't leave the house for three days so it's good this has gone my way.



'We were a little bit lucky with John Terry's slip, although you could say the goal we conceded was an easy goal, the ball changed direction and I slipped.

'It's our luck that he slipped otherwise it would have been all over and someone else would be sitting here. Life and football can change on small things. Penalties are all about the quality of strikes and you just have to hope that you save one.

'Saving that - I don't have any words for it. What can I say? It's great. You see it coming, you save it and then you get up and you know the game's over.

'You have two, three or four seconds on your own, arms in the air and everything goes through your mind. You see your team-mates coming and it's just happiness.

'It's always difficult because before that five went in. I was close to one or two, I touched Ashley Cole's penalty and should have saved that one but I knew"


What ever we can say But the english champions are the European champions for the third time.

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