Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
Chelsea vanquish Moscow ghosts
Some things are meant to be, others are not.
Frank Lampard said he never doubted Chelsea would win the penalty shootout against Bayern Munich in Saturday’s enthralling 2012 Champions League final, although they trailed in the spot kicks after Juan Mata’s early miss, while the hero of their astonishing victory Didier Drogba firmly believes it was Chelsea’s destiny to cover themselves in glory.
And rightly so one might add, having suffered an exact reverse four years ago on a rainy night in Moscow, which ended in agony for Chelsea after they were ahead in the penalty shootout against Manchester United only to see the elusive trophy snatched away by their Premier League rivals after John Terry’s barely believable miss.
Chelsea dominated long spells of the Moscow final which also ended in a strength-sapping 1-1 draw after extra time while they were on the back foot for most of their encounter with Bayern, who had the distinct advantage of playing in their own Allianz Arena.
Along with Terry, who watched the drama in Munich unfold from the sidelines as he was suspended, Drogba was the villain of Chelsea’s downfall in Moscow after being sent off in the dying minutes of extra time.
Mr Chelsea enjoys a glory night but might not stay for long
Roberto Di Matteo can now claim the title of “Mr Chelsea” with as much justification as any of the club’s great players of the past or indeed some of the players who on Saturday helped Chelsea become European champions for the first time.
The 41-year-old interim manager has transformed their season which ended with the most glorious success in their 107-year history as Chelsea became the first London club ever to lift the European Cup following their 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Bayern Munich.
Champions League final live blog – Bayern Munich v Chelsea
We will bring you all the latest buildup, goals, news and photos from Saturday’s showpiece European soccer match. Just click on the link below to join in.
http://live.reuters.com/Event/Champions_League_final_-__Bayern_Munich_v_Chelsea
Barcelona and Real’s poetry lacked motion
By Phil O’Connor
On two nights when every football cliché went out the window, one remained true – in the end the only statistic that matters is the scoreline.
On Tuesday It didn’t matter that Barcelona owned the ball, or that they completed hundreds of passes over the two legs. When Chelsea got hold of it, they used it effectively – if we are to look at one stat other than the score, Chelsea’s four shots on goal and three goals in the tie tell their own story.
Real Madrid v Bayern Munich – Champions League semi-final live blog
So Chelsea pulled off an amazing coup to dethrone Barcelona and reach the final. Real Madrid meet Bayern Munich on Wednesday for the right to meet Jose Mourinho’s former club on May 19.
Click on the link below and join all the fun. Leave as many comments as you like without registering
There may not be a Superclasico in Munich after all
A mouth-watering clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona in this season’s Champions League final in Munich appeared to be on the cards when the two Spanish giants were kept apart in the draw, but the prospect of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi watching the showpiece on television instead of taking centre stage on May 19 now looks just as likely.
While Barcelona missed a hatful of chances in their 1-0 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a pulsating first leg of their semi, Real were maybe fortunate to escape with only a 2-1 defeat at Bayern after they were undone by a stoppage-time winner from Mario Gomez.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Soccer Break Tuesday
The pain for Arsenal fans just rolls on it would seem, as a trip to my office's kitchen confirmed on Monday when I heard two voices grumbling about "Van Persie" and "not enough shots".
The North London club's woes of the last two weeks or so have been much publicised, but perhaps at last there is some news to cheer Gunners fans up in the return of former keeper Jens Lehmann? Who would you prefer in goal? Lehmann, or Arsenal's only currently available goalie Manuel Almunia, in good form in the last two matches against Barcelona and Manchester United?
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Reuters Champions League podcast
Join us for a look at the first round of matches in the 2010-11 Champions League. Paul Radford, Neil Maidment, Owen Wyatt and Mark Meadows chew the fat with host Kevin Fylan.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Champions League final, Bayern Munich v Inter Milan — live
Join us for tonight's Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in Madrid. Will it be Louis van Gaal or Jose Mourinho who wins the competition for the second time? Either way, we're expecting a belting final at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Champions League live blog — Bayern Munich v Olympiqye Lyon
Bayern Munich take on Olympique Lyon in the first leg of the second Champions League semi-final and we'll be following the match between these two stylish teams live from 1845 GMT, 2045 in central Europe.
Will the game be able to match Inter Milan's crackling 3-1 victory over Barcelona? We'll be here from around an hour before kick-off with on-the-spot detail from our reporter in the stadium, Karolos Grohmann and plenty of other contributors. Please join us for the fun.
