If there ever was a better occasion of the better and the more deserving team losing and the less deserving and horrible winning?
Champions league this season had its share of thrills,great matches,upsets et al.The group stages provided with fascinating groupings,intriguing match ups and some unexpected results.There were surprises in store with the heartening performances of teams like Basel,Benfica,Napoli and the other end of the spectrum there were dissapointments such as Man United,Man City,Ajax, Dortmund.While the reigning Dutch and German champions were unable to transform their domestic form into continental glory the top two English teams after being grouped with contrasting teams suffered the same fate and finished third in their respective groups.Well you would have thought their misfortunes in the continent might have ended with that in the coming months more heartbreak was in store as both were eliminated from the Europa league by two Iberian teams who prided on their ability to nurture and bring forward homegrown talent.
At the same time all the other usual suspects reached the knock out rounds - some by virtue of playing dominating and attacking football while the others,lets just say, "just made it through". So favourites like Barcelona,Real,Bayern were joined by Arsenal,Chelsea,Milan,Inter and others.
After some exhilirating football like Napoli's home win over Chelsea,Bayern's thrashing of Basel,Barcelona and Real's dominating performances the semifinal line up looked something like this-
Real Madrid v Bayer Munich
Barcelona V Chelsea
Everyone expected an all Spanish final and they had good reasons to believe that.They had thrashed and annihilated anyone and everyone who had come up in their paths.If at all there was any doubt it was because the final was to be played at the home ground of Bayern - the spectacular Allianz Arena and that provided them with added motivation. What turned out was extraordinary even by Champions League standards.Though Chelsea and Bayern won their respective home legs but it was expected that they would be dispatched easily in the return legs.
But they did not seem to have read the script as in the first of the return legs Chelsea showed such tremendous rearguard action and that too after being down 1-2 on aggregate and reduced to 10 men inside the first fourty odd minutes.Some may say their approach towards the game was very anti football but the fight and the spirit shown was at the least commendable.With two sublime finishes - one by Ramires who was to miss the final due to a suspension and who had been a revelation of sorts under Di Matteo and the other by a player who had been ridiculed to such an extent in the past two seasons that it looks surprising that he hasn't been shipped off as yet(though to be honest one goal does not a player make) Chelsea banished the ghosts of 2009 and reached their second final .
In the other match Real looked to have done enough with in the first quarter of the hour when they took a 2-0(3-2 on aggregate) but Bayern came back hard at them and what ensued was one of the best halfs of football of the entire season. The second half was a bit stretched as both were too scared to lose and the match went into penalties which the Germans duly won.
The final was at Bayern's home and it seemed that Chelsea would not be able to repeat their epic semi final victory over Barcelona and the Cup was Bayern's to lose and that was how it panned out.
With 7 first choice players missing from the two sides(most of them being defensive players) it was thought that the match would have so many mistakes and chances and we would have a brilliant final but what turned out was very dissapointing to say the least. It looked as if just one team had turned up for the final and they surely were not wearing blue.It seemed that Chelsea had somehow decided they were not good enough to compete with Bayern let alone beating them and they just sat back and absorbed all that was thrown at them by Bayern.This can be gauged from the statistics - 20 odd corners for bayern to just 2 for Chelsea,
more than double the number of shots at goal and possession dominance.
The first 45 was completely Bayern and it was unbelievable when the two teams went into the break at nil-nil.It looked as if it was not to be for Bayern.The second half saw Bayern being a bit circumspect and at times frustrated with the enormity of the occasion getting to them.Mario gomez who had scored goals for fun the entire seasin missed a couple of gilt edged chances.Chelsea tried to up their ante but nothing much came of in the form of genuine chances.
All this came to pass when Thomas Muller headed them ahead on 83 minuted. This team they thought Bayern would not have to endure the heartbreaks of (1999 and 2010).But they were wrong. From the time Didier Drogba put Chelsea on level terms with a bullet header to the ensuing of the penalty kicks Chelsea were on the ascendancy.They started playing with a poise and confidence that was hitherto missing from them.But the game still had much to offer in terms of drama.Bayern were awarded a penalty and up stepped Arjen Robben against his former club.What followed was extraodinary. With the cup having come agonisingly close in regular time they messed it up again.Robben missed and Chelsea had another lifeline.
Then came the heartbreaking penalty kicks which in the past had proved to be a bane for the English teams. At the same time the Germans always seemed to have the answers when it came to the pressure faced in such situations. But the tables were turned this time. The ever present and Mr Consistent midfield general Bastian Sweinsteiger missed and the mercurial,enigmatic,big game player Drogba scored to hand Chelsea their first European Cup leaving Bayern players in tears.
Noone expected such a result. Chelsea may be acccused of playing boring ,chocking and uninspiring football but whatever they did proved to be effective and successful. Teams like Bayern,Real,Barcelona,Man united will have to wait for another year for their chance.
Champions league this season had its share of thrills,great matches,upsets et al.The group stages provided with fascinating groupings,intriguing match ups and some unexpected results.There were surprises in store with the heartening performances of teams like Basel,Benfica,Napoli and the other end of the spectrum there were dissapointments such as Man United,Man City,Ajax, Dortmund.While the reigning Dutch and German champions were unable to transform their domestic form into continental glory the top two English teams after being grouped with contrasting teams suffered the same fate and finished third in their respective groups.Well you would have thought their misfortunes in the continent might have ended with that in the coming months more heartbreak was in store as both were eliminated from the Europa league by two Iberian teams who prided on their ability to nurture and bring forward homegrown talent.
At the same time all the other usual suspects reached the knock out rounds - some by virtue of playing dominating and attacking football while the others,lets just say, "just made it through". So favourites like Barcelona,Real,Bayern were joined by Arsenal,Chelsea,Milan,Inter and others.
After some exhilirating football like Napoli's home win over Chelsea,Bayern's thrashing of Basel,Barcelona and Real's dominating performances the semifinal line up looked something like this-
Real Madrid v Bayer Munich
Barcelona V Chelsea
Everyone expected an all Spanish final and they had good reasons to believe that.They had thrashed and annihilated anyone and everyone who had come up in their paths.If at all there was any doubt it was because the final was to be played at the home ground of Bayern - the spectacular Allianz Arena and that provided them with added motivation. What turned out was extraordinary even by Champions League standards.Though Chelsea and Bayern won their respective home legs but it was expected that they would be dispatched easily in the return legs.
But they did not seem to have read the script as in the first of the return legs Chelsea showed such tremendous rearguard action and that too after being down 1-2 on aggregate and reduced to 10 men inside the first fourty odd minutes.Some may say their approach towards the game was very anti football but the fight and the spirit shown was at the least commendable.With two sublime finishes - one by Ramires who was to miss the final due to a suspension and who had been a revelation of sorts under Di Matteo and the other by a player who had been ridiculed to such an extent in the past two seasons that it looks surprising that he hasn't been shipped off as yet(though to be honest one goal does not a player make) Chelsea banished the ghosts of 2009 and reached their second final .
In the other match Real looked to have done enough with in the first quarter of the hour when they took a 2-0(3-2 on aggregate) but Bayern came back hard at them and what ensued was one of the best halfs of football of the entire season. The second half was a bit stretched as both were too scared to lose and the match went into penalties which the Germans duly won.
The final was at Bayern's home and it seemed that Chelsea would not be able to repeat their epic semi final victory over Barcelona and the Cup was Bayern's to lose and that was how it panned out.
With 7 first choice players missing from the two sides(most of them being defensive players) it was thought that the match would have so many mistakes and chances and we would have a brilliant final but what turned out was very dissapointing to say the least. It looked as if just one team had turned up for the final and they surely were not wearing blue.It seemed that Chelsea had somehow decided they were not good enough to compete with Bayern let alone beating them and they just sat back and absorbed all that was thrown at them by Bayern.This can be gauged from the statistics - 20 odd corners for bayern to just 2 for Chelsea,
more than double the number of shots at goal and possession dominance.
The first 45 was completely Bayern and it was unbelievable when the two teams went into the break at nil-nil.It looked as if it was not to be for Bayern.The second half saw Bayern being a bit circumspect and at times frustrated with the enormity of the occasion getting to them.Mario gomez who had scored goals for fun the entire seasin missed a couple of gilt edged chances.Chelsea tried to up their ante but nothing much came of in the form of genuine chances.
All this came to pass when Thomas Muller headed them ahead on 83 minuted. This team they thought Bayern would not have to endure the heartbreaks of (1999 and 2010).But they were wrong. From the time Didier Drogba put Chelsea on level terms with a bullet header to the ensuing of the penalty kicks Chelsea were on the ascendancy.They started playing with a poise and confidence that was hitherto missing from them.But the game still had much to offer in terms of drama.Bayern were awarded a penalty and up stepped Arjen Robben against his former club.What followed was extraodinary. With the cup having come agonisingly close in regular time they messed it up again.Robben missed and Chelsea had another lifeline.
Then came the heartbreaking penalty kicks which in the past had proved to be a bane for the English teams. At the same time the Germans always seemed to have the answers when it came to the pressure faced in such situations. But the tables were turned this time. The ever present and Mr Consistent midfield general Bastian Sweinsteiger missed and the mercurial,enigmatic,big game player Drogba scored to hand Chelsea their first European Cup leaving Bayern players in tears.
Noone expected such a result. Chelsea may be acccused of playing boring ,chocking and uninspiring football but whatever they did proved to be effective and successful. Teams like Bayern,Real,Barcelona,Man united will have to wait for another year for their chance.
