What a match it was!Both teams breathe down each others' neck right down to the final moment of the match. 90min was not enough to settle the score between the 2 clubs. Even a further 30min of extra time was not enough to produce a winner. It had to be decided through the most cruel way, 'The Penalty Shootout.' I stayed up all night through to root for my favourite team, Manchester United.
The match finally kicked off at 2.45am. I was suprised that Sir Alex left Park Ji Sung out of the team. He could have became the 1st asian to play in a champions league final. Another surprise was the formation Sir Alex chose to play, 4-4-2. Not the formation he had been using all season. But I was happy Sir Alex had an attacking mindset. No changes in the defence with Van der sar between the poles, Brown and Evra in the fullback slots, Ferdinand and Vidic forming the wall in the centre of defence. A few changes in midfield. Scholes and Carrick in the middle of the park, Ronaldo and Hargreaves on the left and right of midfield respectively. An upfront, Tevez and Ronney. Chelsea played a 4-5-1, hoping to win the battle in midfield. 26min later, Ronaldo put the ball into the back of the net for United. GOAL!!! A great left-footed cross from Brown found Ronaldo's head and pass the stranded Cech. United fans went crazy(including me)!!!Ronaldo has finally silence all critics about him not peaking in the big games and what a time to do it. Sir Alex placed Ronaldo on the left instead of his original right because of the make shift right back Essien. This tactic proved successful as Essien had a hard time tracking Ronaldo. It was all United domination after that UNTIL.....in stoppage time of the first half, Lampard equalised....Boooo! I was like CRAP! what a lucky goal. A shot from outside the box deflected off Vidic, then hit Ferdinand's butt into the path of Lampard who slot it into the net cooly.
Half Time.
The second half was the beginning of an agonizing turmoil for me. Chelsea improved their style of play, became more composed and confident. They had many chances to win the match, hitting the post once. United also had their chances.
Full Time and into Extra Time.
I was getting a little sleepy, didn't expect the match to last so long. Decided to wash my face and continued watching. I couldn't miss a single minute of this match. Both sides had their chances in the extra time but just could not convert them into goals. Then came one moment of madness. Tevez put the ball out for a Chelsea throw in, however Terry was really unhappy about something which I had no idea what. Then came a free for all, a whole school of Chelsea players surround Tevez. The United players then came to his aid. In the midst of the tussel, Crazy Drogba gave Vidic a slap on the cheek, which was spotted by the linesman. The ref then gave Drogba a straight red. That decision then changed the whole game.
End of Extra Time.
Oh no..penalties, I hate the penalties. It always seem that the team I support always go down in penalties. A very good example would be England. Tevez, Ballack, Carrick and Belletti all converted their spot-kicks. Then step up Cristiano Ronaldo, a regular spot kick taker. Gosh! He screwed up. Cech saved it. Advantage Chelsea. Lampard, Hargreaves, A.Cole and Nani all converted their kicks. Captain Terry to win it if he can put the ball past Van der sar. My fingers crossed. Yes! Terry did put the ball past Van der sar, he even put it past the goal.WOA!! Anderson who has yet to score a goal for United scored from 12 yards. Kalou equalled the score. Legendary Giggsy put the ball into the net too. Here comes Le Sulk, Anelka. Van der sar actually pointed to Anelka to put the ball to the right. Anelka shot to the left and ....SAVED! United are King of Europe!!
I was overjoyed, jumping up and down and screaming quietly.ha.I even woke my dad up from his sleep. It was 5 plus in the early morning as i went to sleep with a smile on my face. =) "Glory Glory Man Utd, Glory Glory Man Utd, Glory Glory Man Utd and the reds go marching on!"
benj (a proud Man Utd fan.)
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