Chelsea ‘Cech’mate Bayern, become Champions of Europe

After a thrilling 120 minutes of football in Munich’s Allianz Arena, Chelsea, for the first time in history, were crowned champions of Europe. The match against Bayern Munich, who are the first team to play in a Champions League final at home in the modern era, went all the way, and concluded in a electrifying penalty shoot-out, which the Blues won 4-3 to lift the magnificent silver trophy.

Chelsea won their first penalty shoot-out in the Champions League and it couldn’t have come at a better time, as they reached the absolute pinnacle of their 107-year history. The victory will erase the bitter memories of four years ago, when they lost on penalties to Manchester United inMoscow. It also provides fitting retribution for the Chelsea stars and legends who have worked tirelessly for the club and who will be remembered as the golden generation of the club in the years to follow.

The match started with Bayern dominating right from the word go and creating a lot of chances. It looked like a matter of time before Bayern would score. Schweinsteiger picked up a yellow card as early as the 2^nd minute, due to which he had to watch his step through the match, but Robben and Ribery were making dangerous runs down the flanks and all Chelsea seemed capable of was to clear the ball high up the field and brace themselves for another wave of attack.

Bayern’s first good chance came in the 21^st minute, when Robben shot low from the corner of the box and Cech, with a bit of luck, managed a save as the ball hit his outstretched leg to rebound off the cross bar and was then frantically cleared off by the defense. Ribery made a hash of another good opportunity when he cut in from the flank and took a shot from the left edge of the penalty area, only to shoot wide. The best chance of the half, though, fell to Mario Gomez when he found himself a couple of yards behind the penalty spot with no one but Petr Cech between him and the goal, but he shot high above the target.

So far, it was looking like a replay of the Chelsea vs. Barcelona semi final, where Chelsea sat tight in defense and waited patiently to strike on the counter. The second half proved no different at first as Bayern seemed to miss more chances and get increasingly frustrated and Chelsea only seemed to get better at the back. Meanwhile, Di Matteo substituted Malouda in for Bertrand who seemed to be getting a little leggy.Chelsea managed to create a few chances with Drogba and Kalou, but nothing substantial.

Bayern Munich got the first breakthrough in the 83^rd minute, when Muller scored from close range as he headed down a cross from close range into the near post and Cech was beaten by the bounce. With seven minutes to go and Chelsea lacking any sting in attack, Bayern seemed well on their way to become the first team to lift the Champions League trophy at home. But Didier Drogba seemed to have different plans.

Almost like the mythical phoenix and the stuff of legends, Chelsea rose from the ashes when the newly substituted Fernando Torres won a corner on the right flank in the 88^th minute and crossed the ball in towards the centre where Drogba headed it in from beyond the near post into the top left corner. Indeed, the glancing header was hit with such precision and ferocity that even though Neuer got his fingers to it, there was no stopping the shot. Drogba was once again the savior and Chelsea had come back from the brink of defeat. The look on the Bayern players’ faces said it all, really.

What followed was a scintillating period of extra time, where Chelsea, led by Torres, looked fresher than they had over the previous 90 minutes and had started to create chances and threaten the Bayern goal. Bayern, though, got another lease of life and a chance to seal the game when Drogba fouled Ribery in the box, but as fate would have it, Robben’s penalty was blocked by Petr Cech diving to his bottom left. This seemed to engender a feeling among the players, supporters and even the commentators, that Chelsea’s time had finally come. Nothing would stop them now.

Watching the penalty shoot-out was an exhilarating experience in itself. Phillip Lahm steps up to take the first for Bayern, which he shsots coolly in the right corner. Next up, Mata for Chelsea, whose shot is saved brilliantly by Manuel Neuer to his right. Gomez, Luiz, Neuer and Lampard all score without any hassles for their respective clubs. The score is Chelsea 2-3 Bayern, with two shots left. Olic steps up for Bayern next and has his shot stopped brilliantly by Cech. Cole then scores for Chelsea to make it 3 apiece. The last and most crucial penalty of all for Bayern is to be taken by their captain, Bastian Schweinsteiger; his shot in the bottom right corner hits the tips of Cech’s gloves and finds its way onto the post and off. It is now up to Chelsea talisman Drogba – and quite fittingly so – to win them the elusive title, and Drogba doesn’t disappoint. He calmly finishes into the bottom right to send the players, fans and every one watching into hysteria. Chelsea are Champions Of Europe.

This victory means a lot for the club. Apart from being their first European victory, it also means they get to play in the next year’s Champions League (feel a little sorry for Tottenham Hotspur). It also might convince Roman Abramovic to retain Drogba and Di Matteo. They seem to have earned the reward and the fans definitely will be rooting for them. After a woeful start to the season and a seemingly hopeless European campaign after a 3-1 defeat to Napoli,Chelsea have once again proven that anything can happen in football.