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It was 1.34am in the Luzhniki Stadium before these teams could be separated.
Manchester United have left it late before, but never like this. Nicolas
Anelka, the Chelsea striker, shot to the left, Edwin van der Sar, the United
goalkeeper, guessed correctly and it was over.
After 120 minutes, two goals, 14 penalties, one stupid sending-off and a night
that will never be forgotten, United were European champions. Again. Chelsea
never have been, and after coming so close here, the blue-clad fatalists
trudging despairingly through the Muscovite rain may believe that they never
will be, no matter how many millions Roman Abramovich, the owner, throws at
the world’s most expensive plaything.
How close did Chelsea come? They hit the woodwork twice, in the second half
and in injury time, had a penalty denied in mysterious circumstances and
John Terry, the captain, needed to score the fifth penalty in the shoot-out
to win it, after Cristiano Ronaldo had missed for United. One hand as good
as on the trophy, Terry slipped, shot against the outside of the post and
the pressure was on Chelsea again, shooting second with the teams tied at
4-4.
Anderson scored for United, Salomon Kalou replied. Ryan Giggs, making his
759th club appearance and breaking Sir Bobby Charlton’s United record, put
it to the left of Petr Cech, Anelka tried to follow him and Van der Sar
clawed the ball away, strong hands and stronger emotions coming to the fore
as United team-mates sprinted to join him in celebration while their
opponents slumped to the sodden pitch, defeated, demoralised and spent.
Terry was inconsolable, a pitiful sight for such a hard man.
Few could separate the teams before the match and so it proved on the night.
The first half belonged to United, the second to Chelsea, honours even in
extra time as the fatigue of a marathon campaign took its toll. All that
could be said is that, over the season, United have been the better team,
played the better football and probably had a tougher route to the final. In
that way, justice was served, although it will not stop the blue contingent
feeling cursed.
If the match had a turning point, it may have been in the 26th minute of extra
time when, after a silly spat over the way the ball had been reintroduced to
play after a delay for injury, Didier Drogba, the Chelsea striker, cuffed
Nemanja Vidic, the United defender, in view of Martin Balko, a referee’s
assistant. It was not a harmful blow, petulant at most, but it was enough.
Lubos Michel, the Slovakian referee, took advice and showed Drogba a red
card. For those tired of his behaviour it was a moment of karma; for Chelsea
it was a disaster. The striker would probably have taken one of the first
five penalties and perhaps Terry would have been spared. Would Chelsea now
be European champions? We shall never know.
United rode their luck at times, but all winners do. Sir Alex Ferguson, the
manager, said before the match that he believes in fate and, 50 years after
the Munich air disaster, someone was smiling on United. Drogba hit a post
with a shot from outside the area and Frank Lampard struck the bar in extra
time. United will point to a late shot by Giggs that Terry somehow cleared
and the fact that they could have scored three times in the first half.
And so to the mystery of the night. With the match heading to additional time,
Joe Cole broke down the right and Rio Ferdinand, the United captain, came
across to challenge with a foot high. A flag was raised by Roman Slysko and
then quickly dropped again. Maybe he was playing advantage, although there
was none that could compare to a shot from the spot.
Chelsea fans will recall Slysko as the official who gave the infamous ghost
goal that led to defeat in the semi-final with Liverpool in 2005. Still, it
would not be Chelsea if there was not a whiff of conspiracy.
What must be remembered about the opening goal is that Michael Essien, the
Chelsea right back, is not a defender. Then again, Ronaldo is meant to be a
tricky winger, so the fact that he was lurking at the back post for his
ninth headed goal of the season says much about his refusal to entertain
limitations. Essien was the great gamble of Avram Grant, the Chelsea
first-team coach, and it did not pay off defensively. Identifying the
built-in weakness in Chelsea’s side, Ferguson switched his most dangerous
player, Ronaldo, to the left flank, where he ran riot early on. When United
scored, Essien failed to do the marking job that would have been second
nature to a player such as Paulo Ferreira.
The passing move on the right was a joy. Paul Scholes, making up for lost time
after missing the 1999 triumph, to Wes Brown, Brown to Scholes, Scholes back
to Brown, the ball zipping around Lampard as if forming a cat’s cradle until
Brown crossed, finding Ronaldo in a Red Square of space, Essien alert to the
danger only after it was too late.
Had United taken all of their first-half chances the game could have been an
anticlimax and they were queueing up to score in the 34th minute when Carlos
Tévez and Michael Carrick forced brilliant saves from Cech.
Tévez would have got on the end of a Wayne Rooney cross had his boots been a
size bigger in the 42nd minute, but three minutes later Chelsea were back in
the game. The goal was scored by Lampard and, by his standards, was
textbook. Essien hit a shot from outside the area and when the deflection
wrong-footed Ferdinand and Van der Sar, Lampard was first on site, his
left-foot finish followed by a glance to the heavens. Fate cannot make it
right for everyone, however, and with Giggs, Scholes, Charlton and the
memory of the Busby Babes to look after, by the end of the night it was no
longer returning calls from the blue section of the stadium. Terry could
have been treated with greater kindness, though.
Manchester United (4-4-2): E van der Sar, W Brown (sub: Anderson,
120min), N Vidic, R Ferdinand, P Evra – O Hargreaves, M Carrick, P Scholes
(sub: R Giggs, 87), C Ronaldo – W Rooney (sub: Nani, 102), C Tévez.
Substitutes not used: T Kuszczak, M Silvestre, J O’Shea, D Fletcher. Booked:
Scholes, Ferdinand, Vidic, Tévez.
Chelsea (4-3-3): P Cech – M Essien, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Cole – M
Ballack, C Makelele (sub: J Belletti, 120), F Lampard – J Cole (sub: N
Anelka, 99), D Drogba, F Malouda (sub: S Kalou, 92). Substitutes not used: C
Cudicini, Alex, J O Mikel, A Shevchenko. Booked: Makelele, Carvalho,
Ballack, Essien. Sent off: Drogba.
Referee: L Michel (Slovakia).
Oh How Quite Laughable, Terry This Terry That. Lets Just Forget How Rio Ferdinand 'Conveniently' Forgot His Drug Test That Year And His Speeding Fines.
But Oh No His Dabble In Drugs And Breaking The Law Actions Must Be Kept Hush Hush.
Terry Is A Disgrace? Grow Up
Louise, London,
The video clip shows comclusively that no spit left Terry's mouth which was in the wrong configuration for spitting, he was talking and telling Tevez what he has heard many times before. The mass self-deception going on is mind boggling.
Good article Martin
JohnC, Seaford, UK
The only man at Chelski deserving of any kindness is Aram Grant, a man of modesty and dignity; you reap what you sow and the majority of comments show the low esteem in which JT is held even by neutral fans, his conduct on and off the field is a disgrace for an England captain; his form has gone to
ian baker, stanmore, UK
Martin Samuel has always put forward a good perspective on football but surely he saw the Chelsea players conduct and must ask why their captain spits in the neck of an opposite player and the likes of Ballack,Cole and co harass the officials
to the point of personal abuse.Terry is a disgrace..
Alan Beresford, France,
Is this the same John Terry who parked in a disable bay so he could take his family for lunch in Esher. Maybe there is justice.
Steve, Winchester, UK
The guy who started the rot for Chelsea was Malouda. His stupid, almost convincing dive, warned the referee. He has a career too and wants a final to be a high point. He does not want to discover in the morning that he gave the final away to a dive.
There is a hidden cost in diving !
Emrys, Swansea, UK
Terry - Hard!
Yes, spitting at the opposition and ganging up on the ref, REALLY hard! he is a child trapped in the body of an inarticulate, poorly educated adult but a good role model to today's chav infested yoof!!!!!
A Thorn, London,
You reap what you sow, that extra £5M for Alves looks like a bargain now. The efforts to oust Mourinho cost much more than his severance pay, much, much more.
Given the manner in which the club has been run in the past 2 years it would have been a travesty if Chelsea had won.
Don Brayshaw, London, England
United were the most consistent team throughout the competition and deserved the trophy. United sent an emotional Bobby Charlton up with the squad to collect the trophy, very fitting because of Munich, however Chelski sent up Peter Kenyon, that says it all.
Paul, West Midlands,
chelsea out played man utd ,,manutd won the cup because they take better penaties but chelsea won the match because they were the better team all round.
i suport man utd but hate to win this way
james, manchester,
it is a terrible way to loose a match.Chelesa fought well and actually outplayed Man United for most of the match. Petr Chec was brilliant with those two saves! Even though I am a Man United fan and am happy that they took the trophy home, a shootout is a very hard way to loose...
Kenneth Rand, Buford GA, USA
Congratulations to the Glazer family! A Premiership and Champions League title in one year. Fantastic!
JT, Austin, TX, USA
All the submissions praising John Terry seem a bit rose tinted . From spitting at Carlos Tevez to failing to control his players and even joining in the harassment of the referee. The tears , I suspect , were to deflect attention from these misdemeanours .
My five year old can't cry for that long.
Nick Dixon, Sutton Coldfield, England
Liz - a bird from america proving what she 'knows' about football
Artiford, London,
when they change the rules to give a direct free kick (and hence penalty) for dangerous play or to prevent playing advantage if the "offence" is in the penalty area, be sure to let us know.
against roma, barca and chelsea, united conceded one goal. a fluke. and without spitting at anyone.
jem, london, uk
"Karma is parking in a handicap space and then missing a crucial penalty. Oh Terry, too bad...
Jake, Croydon, UK"
Terry's one of the cleanest players in football.
Karma's having the same linesman win the game for your opponents as won it for Liverpool with magic goal
Reuben, London,
Drogba after trying to get so many people sent off this season, gets sent off himself. Terry proves himself to be all chest-thumping neanderthal bravery and no skill, just as any non-Chelsea or England fan could see clearly. Anelka, who has played for all our rivals, misses the crucial kick. Bliss!!
Dan Xuereb, Cardiff, Wales
Brilliant. United absoloutely deserved to win it! Done for the Busby Babes, there is no better reason. It's always nice for the odd fan to revel in Chelsea disappointment, thank you very much John Terry. So much for the double, eh? Revenge? We got revenge, Ronaldo scored in a big game. That's class!
sarah, WIGAN,
Two throughly undeserved wins for Ferguson in the CL. Like 99 Utd were second best and so lucky.
Still behind Paisley, level with Clough and with 16 years at the same club, that was the richest for many years!
Not in the same league as a man or a manager.
D.Dent, Ipswich,
Another reason Grant should go: ManU had the edge with Scholes dominating the midfield in the first half and a miss-match
at right back against Ronaldo. The answer take off Malouda, move Essien further forward and bring on J Belletti at right back.
What did Grant do -nothing.
A Walton, Leicester, England
United rode their luck......................................how about Chelski' luck still being in the match at halftime. Doubt they will ever score a luckier goal in a big match. Two deflections and plus a slip by the keeper.
Brian, Brussels, Brussels,
This is the closest Chelsea will ever get to winning anything and John Terry knows it and it is why he was so upset. At the crucial moment he blew it. Man Utd on the other hand played with - dare I say it - grace; something Chelsea need to learn, but which I fear they never will. The better side won
Chris, London, UK
Poor old brave, tough John Terry. Not only was he haranging the referee throughout the game he then took it on himself to spit and blow his nose on Tevez .He didnt quite manage to comfort his own players at the end, perhaps he was too busy looking for his hankie again? Next England Captain? Great...
Nick Earl, Maidenhead, UK
'I am surprised by your term 'infamous ghost goal' in reference to an incident where the ball was clearly well over the line'
I'm a Liverpool fan, but even I'll admit that Garcia shot did not cross the line.
This was a wonderful final, one of the best games of football I've ever seen.
Andy, London,
I waited for several days to watch this final which I believed would be intense. From 2.45am to 5.34 am, I really felt it was dramatically wonderful with that successful penalty save!!
Horry, Shanghai, China
Congratulation Mancherster! I am so happy! It's my favoritу team since my childhood.
Alice, Moscow, Russia
Isn't it just possible (if not probable) that Drogba was gutless and wanted no part of the penalties, so bottled it on purpose? Something that is so completely, 100% incomprehensible has an ulterior motive at work. The feigned look of surprise at the red & nonchalance walking off tips it for me.
Chip Barbre, Jackson, USA
Dear Martin Samuel, I greatly admire your writing but am surprised by your term 'infamous ghost goal' in reference to an incident where the ball was clearly well over the line, probably 2-3 feet. It is not to Chelsea supporters' credit that this myth persists.
Jim Edgar, Istanbul, Turkey
It's great! I am so happy because my favorite team won Chaimpions League. I like Manchester United very much.
Bobby Charlton is the best player/
Alice, Moscow, Russia
"Terry could have been treated with greater kindness though" - on the contrary he got everything he deserved as the leader of a group of footballers whose behaviour would put the Argentine team at the 90 world cup to shame. Made me embarassed to be English.
paul rowe, cambridge,
Shame about Ferguson's attack on the ref coming out for the second half, Man Utd have not played very well in the closing months of the premiership or in Europe, playing total defence home and away against a mediocre Barcelona , very strange refereeing decisons, have helped MU without doubt
bruti, London, UK
The good news is that hopefully we'll get rid of Avram now and get another proper manager. Any chance we can have Jose back? Please Roman
Davie P, London,
and that's why they get paid millions...........
Keep your head up JT, it takes a lot of nerve to take a kick in that situation (not that i know). For all i could tell, Kalou was readying (and mysteriously continuously wiping his boots) as if he were to take the fifth penalty, but then passed the
pete mines, london,
cmon utd show some grac, just be grateful that you have the luck just like 99, chelsea did great, a non slip of the foot or a bit of luck the other way and you wouldn't be celebrating your umpteenth trophy
Steve, stratford , uk
" how could Manu lose ? " My thoughts as I saw Bobby Charlton step up to take a medal , a man who had seen it all from the inside of the broken fuselage in Munich to the glory at Wembley . It was like we had Santa and all the gods smiling upon us at the same time .
Well done Manu .
Nick Dixon, Sutton Coldfield, England
I admired John Terry for taking the fifth penalty - it's what a captain is expected to do. But blubbing like that afterwards? It's a game of football for goodness' sake!
Tom Hanna, North Yorkshire,
Chelsea lost the match in the tunnel at the start .
All the little mascots waiting , holding out hands , the Manu players shake hands and bend down to talk to them . John Terry stands there scratching himself and completely ignoring his mascot .
It started there and ended with Drogba.
Happy days
Nick Dixon, Sutton Coldfield, England
Chelsea's goal was very lucky. Without that Utd would have won comfortably, as Chelsea would have had to push men forward.
Van Der Sar made one save, Cech was Chelsea's best player.
Nick Matthew, london, uk
It is said that if you keep your head when all others around you are loosing theirs, you will prevail. D. Drogba and Chelsea lost their heads under the pressure in extra time i believe this was the definitive moment in a fantastic spectacle. From a proud United Fan.
Andrew England, Banbury,
Man Utd defeat Chelsea by penalty shoot-out for the 2nd times in this season.. poor chelsea.. xspecially J.Terry...
Khai, Jay Bee, Malaysia
I waited for several hours to watch this final which I believed would be intense. From 2.45am to 5.30 am, I really felt it was dramatically disappointed for Chelsea with 2 unsuccessful pens.
John, Shanghai, China
As the wise man once said in the John Smith's ad:
'AVE IT !
Lock, Stock, and 2 smoking barrels.... English and European Champions. That'll do nicely, ta.
Robbie Mac, London, England
Karma is parking in a handicap space and then missing a crucial penalty. Oh Terry, too bad...
Jake, Croydon, UK
Keep your head up JT, it takes a lot of nerve to take a kick in that situation (not that i know). For all i could tell, Kalou was readying (and mysteriously continuously wiping his boots) as if he were to take the fifth penalty, but then passed the buck... I may be wrong, but well done United...
Richard Small, Reading, England
Rio's foot was definitely raised, but the result would have been an indirect free kick, not a direct one, even in the penalty area.
DD, Kenmare, Ireland
Margins are oh so tight in a game such as this. Many moments in the game can quoted as the reason the outcome was as it was, although perhaps most significantly, the 6 inches Terry was out by sealed it. Can't help but feel sorry for Terry, an honest player who slipped at the worst moment possible.
Jonny Riches, Leeds, England
Penalty , what nonsense - dangerous play = indirect freekick
Liz, New York, USA