Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea(Man Utd win 6-5 on penalties AET)

The Premiership top two met at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in what was the first ever all-English final in Europe’s premier club competition.

Man Utd, who were going for the double, were pinning their hopes on destiny, as it had been 50 years since the Munich Air Disaster, and 40 years since their first European Cup triumph, when the legendary George Best inspired them to a 4-1 win over Eusebio’s Benfica.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who won this competition in 1999, had the luxury of a full squad to choose from. A forward trident of Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez was unleashed, while Owen Hargreaves was preferred in midfield to Anderson.

Chelsea were playing in their first-ever final and boss Avram Grant also had a full squad to select from. Captain John Terry recovered from a dislocated shoulder to play, as did Didier Drogba from a knee complaint, while Ashley Cole took his place at left back despite receiving a heavy knock to the ankle following an idiotic training ground tackle by Claude Makelele on Tuesday evening. Florent Malouda won the nod over Salomon Kalou.

First Half

There was a nervous and disjointed start to the game as neither side were able to string any passes together. Hargreaves had the first attempt of the match with a mis-hit cross that was plucked out of the near post by Petr Cech.

On 15 minutes Ronaldo skipped past Michael Essien on the left, and his cross was just too high for Hargreaves at the back post.

The game needed spicing up and Paul Scholes and Makelele clashed heads in the middle of the field, and both were somewhat harshly booked. Scholes cut open his forehead, but he continued after treatment.

On 26 minutes Man Utd took the lead, and it was Ronaldo who got the goal. Wes Brown played a clever one-two with Scholes down the right, and lofted a ball towards the far post. Ronaldo lost Essien and powered in an unstoppable header into the corner, with Cech merely a statue. It was Ronaldo’s first-ever goal against Chelsea.

Chelsea tried to hit back immediately and Michael Ballack thumped the ball over the bar from 30 yards.

The Blues tried to up the tempo, and Van der Sar was forced into a fine save on 34 minutes as Rio Ferdinand headed back towards his own goal under intense pressure from Ballack.

United then immediately launched a lightning fast counter-attack and Ronaldo crossed for Tevez to head towards goal but Cech produced a brilliant save. The ball came out to Carrick on the edge of the box, and again Cech was forced into a brilliant stop, this time one-handed, to keep Chelsea in the game. From the resulting corner Ronaldo headed over.

The game was now much more entertaining, but in truth all the quality was coming from the team in red, as Chelsea’s ball retention was very poor.

On 42 minutes Man Utd missed another fine chance to add a second, as Rooney flashed a low ball across the box, and Tevez was inches away from getting his foot to the ball.

Moments later Chelsea were awarded a free kick right on the edge of the box following a Ferdinand foul, but Ballack smashed the ball over.

Right on the stroke of half time and Chelsea were level courtesy of an outrageous piece of luck. Essien, who had been dreadful all half, scuffed a shot from 25 yards which took a double deflection off Vidic and Ferdinand, and fell invitingly into the path of Frank Lampard's trademark run, and the midfielder turned the ball past Van der Sar, who had lost his footing.

There was still time for Ballack to fire yet another long-range shot over as the teams went in level at the break. After a sterile opening 20 minutes it had ended up being an exhilarating half of football, but United would have been regretting not taking their chances to score a second at 1-0.

Second Half

Into the second period and Malouda immediately tried his luck, but his effort was well off target.

On 53 minutes Patrice Evra found acres of space behind Essien and chipped up a cross to the back post, but the danger passed.

Essien may have been struggling defensively in his unusual right back role but he was doing well going forward, and on another raid he cut inside onto his left foot and fired not too far over. Van der Sar had lost his footing again, so if the shot had been on target it would certainly have been a goal.

Chelsea were much better in the second period, really stamping their authority on the game. Drogba headed over from a corner, while Ballack had his umpteenth long shot of the game, this time firing wide.

The Blues were dominating possession. Lampard saw a shot deflected over on 65 minutes, and from the resulting corner John Terry headed over.

Ferdinand required treatment for cramp, and in a rare second half United attack, Carrick lashed the ball wide via a deflection. Ronaldo danced past Essien down the left but then overplayed and sliced wide.

The pitch surface was becoming something of a problem, with players slipping all over the place. Malouda asked for a penalty following a Ferdinand challenge, but the referee didn’t want to know.

On 77 minutes Chelsea were agonizingly close to finding the goal that their second half performance probably deserved. Drogba picked the ball up 25 yards out, and curled the ball majestically towards goal, only to see his shot crash off the far post with Van der Sar beaten.

Drogba had another chance soon after as Malouda crossed from the left into the six yard box, but the Ivorian was denied by a crucial tackle from Nemanja Vidic.

Down the other end Tevez ambitiously had a pop from fully 30 yards but Cech watched it fly wide.

Drogba fired off target twice, before Alex Ferguson made the first change of the game, introducing Ryan Giggs for Scholes on 86 minutes. The remaining minutes of the 90 produced little of note, and the game moved into extra time.

Extra Time  

Just three minutes into extra time, and Chelsea were again desperately unlucky not to go ahead, hitting the woodwork for a second time. Ballack laid the ball to Lampard inside the box, and the former West Ham man turned and crashed a shot against the bar. Joe Cole then hashed the rebound over.

Substitute Kalou rolled Brown beautifully and laid the ball off to the onrushing Essien, who nearly got in on goal. Grant then made an attacking change, introducing Nicolas Anelka for Joe Cole.

Bang on 100 minutes Man Utd had a glorious chance of their own. Evra burst past Makelele after another Essien mistake, and cut the ball back to Giggs, but with the goal seemingly at his mercy, Terry somehow made a miraculous headed clearance off the line.

The desperately disappointing Rooney was replaced by Nani, before Tevez cut in from the left and tested Cech. Down the other end, Carvalho rose above Ferdinand at a corner but didn’t get enough meat on his header.

Into the second period of extra time, and Ballack immediately had a shot charged down. On 111 minutes Vidic brought down Anelka outside the box, and Drogba curled the resulting free kick wide.

Both teams were now very tired, but there was a flare up in the corner between Tevez and Terry, which resulted in a mass melee. Ballack and Tevez were both booked while Drogba was shown a straight red card, in what could be his final-ever game for the club, for slapping Vidic around the face.

The action was still not over. Ashley Cole and Nani required treatment after another clash of heads, while Tevez flicked a header wide. Right on 120 minutes Juliano Belletti and Anderson were both brought on for their respective sides, presumably in order to take penalties.

Rio Ferdinand won the toss of the coin, and opted for Man Utd to go first in the shootout.

Tevez stepped up first and sent Cech the wrong way.

Ballack was next up, shooting powerfully past Van der Sar.

Carrick buried his spot-kick, as did Belletti with his first touch of the game.

The first miss of the shootout came from Ronaldo, who stuttered in his run-up but Cech dived to his right to save.

Lampard then put Chelsea 3-2 ahead.

Hargreaves levelled things up with an emphatic shot into the top corner.

Ashley Cole was the next up, and Van der Sar got a strong hand to the ball but couldn’t keep the ball out.

Nani then knew that he had to score to keep United in it, and he did it just.

Thus it was all up to John Terry to win the Cup for Chelsea, but he blew it for his side, incredibly hit the post after seemingly losing his footing.

Anderson scored the first penalty in sudden death, meaning the pressure was all on Kalou.

The Ivorian sent Van der Sar the wrong way to make it 5-5. Giggs was next up and he was also successful.

Another substitute Anelka never looked like he was going to score, and Van der Sar saved to his right, as United won 6-5 on penalties.

Man Utd are Champions of Europe!

Teams

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Brown (Anderson 120), Ferdinand (C), Vidic, Evra, Hargreaves, Carrick, Scholes (Giggs 86), Rooney (Nani 101), Tevez, Ronaldo

Chelsea: Cech, Essien, Terry (C), Carvalho, A.Cole, Makelele (Belletti 120), Ballack, Lampard, J.Cole (Anelka 98), Malouda (Kalou 90), Drogba

Goals

Ronaldo (M) – 26’

Lampard (C) – 45’

Penalty Shooutout

Tevez (M) - Scored

Ballack (C) - Scored

Carrick (M) - Scored

Belletti (C) - Scored

Ronaldo (M) - Saved

Lampard (C) - Scored

Hargreaves (M) - Scored

Cole (C) - Scored

Nani (M) - Scored

Terry (C) – Hit Post

Anderson (M) - Scored

Kalou (C) - Scored

Giggs (M) – Scored

Anelka (C) - Saved

Carlo Garganese, Goal.com

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