This is an unusual Champions' League final. Bayern Munich is a great European power -- they finished in second place in Germany's domestic league this year, and they have won the European Cup four times: 1973-74, 1974-75, 1975-76, and 2000-01. They were also runners-up in 1981-82, 1986-87, 1998-99, and 2009-10. I always think of them as playing a role in European soccer similar to the role Kansas plays in college basketball -- they're always up there, and always good, even though they are a little boring and they usually come up short of the ultimate glory. So it's not surprising that they would be here -- even though they had to upset Real Madrid in the semi-finals to make it. But Chelsea's appearance here is very surprising. This is the worst Chelsea team in over a decade -- they finished sixth the English Premier League, and they will not qualify for next year's Champions' League unless they win today. Even when they were good they were known for under-achieving in Europe -- the Blues have never won the European Cup, and before this year, they had only reached the final in 2007-08. However, they have been unbelievably tough in knock-out competition. They won the F.A. Cup a few weeks ago (with wins over Portsmouth, Queens Park Rangers, Birmingham City, Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool), and they reached this game with surprising wins over Napoli (Italy) (Chelsea were down 3-1 after the first match, but won the second match 4-1 for a 5-4 aggregate win), Benfica (Portugal), and Barcelona (Chelsea stunned the defending champs by winning 1-0 in London, and pulling out a 2-2 draw in Barca thanks to two goals scored after Chelsea had been reduced to only 10 men). They remind me of that Villanova team that went all the way in 1985, grinding out one tough victory after another.
So if you think of this match as a game between Villanova and Kansas in Kansas City, you'll have a pretty good sense of the dynamic at work here. Bayern Munich should win, and their fans will be devastated if they lose. They are at home, and Chelsea has at least four players who are not eligible because of all the yellow cards issued against them in the Barcelona match. But if Bayern are to win without resorting to penalty kicks, they will have to score, and that won't be easy against Chelsea -- as Barca have already found out.
Bayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (19 minutes)
ReplyDeleteNot too much action so far, but Munich are now starting to crank up the pressure.
This is going to be great. Just starting to read this now and don't know who is going to win.
DeleteIn other soccer news, West Ham United beat Blackpool 2-1 to take the third promotion place in next year's English Premier League. The Hammers will join Reading and Southampton in next year's top flight. Those three will replace Bolton, Blackburn, and Wolverhampton, who were all relegated.
ReplyDeleteI've twice visited Reading, and I like it a lot. So I'm going to be a huge, huge Reading fan next Pennant Fever season.
DeleteMeanwhile, Spurs have a lot riding on this game. If Bayern Munich win, then Spurs -- as the fourth-place team in the English Premier League this year -- will qualify for next year's Champions' League, along with Manchester City, Manchester United, and Arsenal. But if Chelsea win, then they will take Spurs' spot.
ReplyDeleteGiven that teams obtain enormous amounts of revenue from the Champions' League, the issue of whether Spurs or Chelsea qualify for next season will have a huge impact on the future of those two old rivals.
ReplyDeleteBayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (25 minutes)
ReplyDeleteIt's all Munich right now -- they have 65 percent of the possession so far, and they have seven corner kicks to none for Chelsea. But they haven't been able to score.
If I could change one rule in soccer, I would rule that if a knockout game ends in a tie, the team that has obtained the most corner kicks would be the winner. If the game is tied, then the teams would play until someone scored a corner kick or a goal. This would make it impossible for a team like Chelsea to just sit back and take their chances with penalty kicks, which is what is happening now. And by opening up the game, I think ties would almost disappear.
I will gladly support your soccer proposal in Sports Congress if you'll support my Wammy proposal for chess.
DeleteBayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (30 minutes)
ReplyDeleteOK, so Chelsea's plan is to pack almost everyone in deep and play defense, seeking only the occasional counter-attack. If they can do this for 120 minutes (plus extra time) they will have a chance to win the match on penalty kicks. My prediction is that Chelsea will not be able to keep 11 men on the field for 120 minutes if they continue this strategy.
Bayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (32 minutes)
ReplyDeleteMy second prediction is that if the game does finish 0-0 and does go to penalty kicks, Bayern Munich will win on penalty kicks -- just as they did a few weeks ago against Real Madrid.
Bayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (33 minutes)
ReplyDeleteOne of Chelsea's rare counter-attacks leads to a free kick just outside of Bayern Munich's penalty area. It takes a long time for everyone to sort out what they are going to do -- and then Juan Mata steps up for Chelsea and kicks the ball far over the goal.
Bayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (36 minutes)
ReplyDeleteWe're getting some more action now, as Chelsea looks more dangerous in the counter-attack. They just had a good shot on goal, but the Bayern goalkeeper made a good save.
This is the last game of the European Club season. Here's how the other big trophies were handed out:
ReplyDeleteEnglish Premier League: Manchester City
F.A. Cup: Chelsea
Scottish Premier League: Celtic
Scottish F.A. Cup: Heart of Midlothian
Spanish League (La Liga): Real Madrid
German League (Bundesliga): Borussia Dortmund
Italian League (Serie A): Juventus
French League (Ligue 1): Montpellier
Dutch League (Eredivisie): Ajax Amsterdam
I've never been to France, but Montpelier, Vt., is one of this nation's truly great state capitals.
DeleteBayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (Halftime)
ReplyDeleteBayern Munich had a few more chances, but Mario Gomez has missed three good chances for the German squad, and Chelsea's defense has held. 75 more minutes to penalty kicks.
By the way, in Scotland there was a huge upset when Heart of Midlothian knocked out Celtic 2-1 in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup. That set up a Scottish Cup final between Hearts and Hibernian -- the two big clubs from Edinburgh. Given that Scottish football is totally dominated by Celtic and Glasgow -- the two big clubs from Glasgow -- this was the first time since 1896 that the two Edinburgh clubs had met in the Scottish Cup Final. Hearts won the 1896 game 3-1. Today, Hearts won bragging rights for the next century by pounding Hibernian 5-1.
ReplyDeleteThat's very cool background.
DeleteBayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (46 minutes)
ReplyDeleteThe commentators on Fox made the point that this match feels like Chelsea is playing the away leg of a two-leg Champions' League match. But, of course, there is no home leg this time -- the final (unlike the other knockout rounds) consists of a single game, which is normally played on a neutral site.
Bayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (50th minute)
ReplyDeleteIt might seem odd that a team like Chelsea that struggled so much in the regular season could now win the championship of Europe -- but it's really not any different from the fact that the New York Giants reached this year's Super Bowl. Chelsea, like the Giants, got here through defense, and if they could somehow scrape a goal, they would have the greatest win in club history.
Bayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (53d minute)
ReplyDeleteOK, uniform update. Chelsea are wearing their usual blue and white uniforms -- they look exactly like the uniforms Kentucky or Tilghman would wear if they were in the Champions' League. Bayern Munich is wearing dark red shirts, dark red shorts, and gold numerals -- sort of like what you would expect from Florida State.
Bayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (55th minute)
ReplyDeleteIt looked as though Bayern Munich had scored, but the goal was disallowed for offsides. The Guardian, which instinctively roots against all English teams -- unless they are playing Americans -- is screaming that the goal should have counted. But I have never seen and English club get a generous call on the road, and the referee's decision looked good to me.
65 minutes to penalty kicks.
Bayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (60th minute)
ReplyDeleteThe Bayern Munich players have four small stars over the team patch on the front of their uniform shirt. The stars represent their European championships. I think that's a really good idea. It would be great if the Redskins, for example, could have three little stars just below their right shoulders for their three Super Bowl wins. But of course the Skins also won NFL titles in 1937 and 1942 -- before the Super Bowl Era. So maybe they should have five stars.
That would be excellent.
DeleteBayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (63d minute)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know this. If a club wins three European Cups in a row -- or five overall -- it gets to keep the Cup for good and a new Cup is made. Five teams have done this: Real Madrid, Ajax, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, and Liverpool. Since this would be Bayern Munich's fifth trophy, presumably they would get to keep this cup as well. So they would have two -- one for winning three in a row, and one for winning five overall.
Bayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (68th minute)
ReplyDeleteBayern Munich just took their 14th and 15th corners -- Chelsea still don't have any. See, under my rules Chelsea would have to come out of their defensive shell and attack, because they are so far behind on corners. That would open up the game and allow Bayern Munich to get the 2-0 or 3-0 win they probably deserve.
Bayern Munich 0 - 0 Chelsea (77th minute)
ReplyDeleteChelsea had a few decent counter-attacks, but Bayern Munich are now launching attack after attack at the Chelsea goal. Unfortunately for Bayern Munich, they have not yet been able to make the key shot to score, and they have blown a number of good chances.
43 minutes (plus injury time) to penalty kicks.
Bayern Munich 1 - 0 Chelsea (82d minute)
ReplyDeleteFinally, Bayern Munich break through. Bayern Munich sent a long ball into the penalty box toward Mario Gomez. Two Chelsea defenders collapsed on Gomez, but this left Thomas Mueller unmarked. The ball went over Gomez's head, and Mueller ran up to head it in.
Chelsea will now come out of their shell, which means that the season will actually end with about 9 minutes' worth of interesting soccer.
Bayern Munich 1 - 0 Chelsea (85th minute)
ReplyDeleteThe Munich fans are going crazy with joy, and the Spurs fans have got to be feeling good as well.
Bayern Munich 1 - 0 Chelsea (87th minute)
ReplyDeleteChelsea want to attack now, but Bayern Munich is so much better than they are that Chelsea can barely get the ball.
Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (88th minute)
ReplyDeleteThis is unbelievable. Chelsea finally launched a desperate attack that yielded their first corner of the game. The ball came in to Didier Drogba -- Chelsea's excellent striker -- and he scored an amazing header to TIE THE GAME. Now the little band of Chelsea fans behind the Bayern Munich goal are going mad.
OH, MY!
DeleteBayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (90th minute)
ReplyDeleteWe have three minutes of injury time. Bayern gets yet another corner, but it leads to nothing.
Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (93d minute)
ReplyDeleteChelsea win another free kick just outside Bayern Munich's penalty area. This could be the match!
Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (Full Time)
ReplyDeleteWIth a chance to win on the last kick of the match, Drogba blasts the ball over the goal. We now go to 30 minutes of extra time.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich has a problem because they took out Thomas Mueller -- the player who scored their goal -- to make a defensive substitute in an effort to preserve their win. But now Mueller is out of the game, which will hurt Bayern Munich's offense and will also take away someone who is good at penalty kicks. By contrast, Chelsea had to make an offensive substitution, so their team is currently designed to score -- but not necessarily to defend.
This is the fifth time in the last 12 matches that the European Cup final has gone to extra time due to a tie score. The other four matches all ended up going to penalty kicks.
ReplyDeleteOK so we will play two 15-minute periods in Extra Time. If the teams are still tied after that, we have penalty kicks.
ReplyDeleteBayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (91st minute)
ReplyDeleteBetween Chelsea's late goal here, and the two late goals scored by Man City last Sunday to win the English Premier League, this will go down as one of the most memorable soccer seasons ever. ESPN and Fox, who have significantly ramped up their coverage of European soccer this year, have to be pleased.
Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (93d minute)
ReplyDeleteSo Bayern Munich had the ball, and Franck Ribery (a Frenchman) was dribbling just inside Chelsea's penalty box. Drogba, seeking to take the ball away from behind, reached in with his foot and grazed Ribery's foot. Ribery, of course, collapsed as if he had been shot, and the referee called a penalty. Arjen Robben, the Bayern Munich captain, stepped up to take the penalty -- BUT IT WAS SAVED BY CHELSEA'S GOALKEEPER. Memories of Chelsea's semi-final against Barcelona, where Lionel Messi (the best player in the world) missed a penalty kick that was critical to Chelsea's win.
Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (99th minute)
ReplyDeleteBayern Munich continue to attack and Chelsea's more offense-oriented line-up does not look as good on defense as the starting line-up did.
Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (end of 1st Extra Period)
ReplyDeleteFifteen minutes to penalty kicks.
Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (107th minute)
ReplyDeleteBayern Munich appeared to have a wide open shot for goal, but the player decided to pass and the teammate he thought was there was not there, so the ball dribbled across the face of the goal. Just a terrible error under these circumstances.
Bayern Munich still has the better of the play.
Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (110th minute)
ReplyDeleteI still can't over the fact that Chelsea only made a real effort to score for about five minutes, and they did score.
Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (116th minute)
ReplyDeleteChelsea lost the 2007-08 Champions' League Final to Manchester United on penalty kicks, England lost in the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup to Germany on penalty kicks, and England lost in the semi-final of the 1996 European Championship to Germany on penalty kicks. So the Chelsea fans will be battling some serious demons if this game goes to penalty kicks.
Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (118th minute)
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the German national team is famous for its success in matches decided by penalty kicks, and Bayern Munich used penalty kicks to eliminate Real Madrid in the semi-final this year. So their fans have a very different viewpoint.
Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Chelsea (end of extra time)
ReplyDeleteI hate penalty kicks with a passion, and never watch them if I can help it. I would prefer almost any other way to decide soccer titles. But this is Europe, and they do a lot of things differently than I would.
OK, so each team picks five players, and each of those players takes a penalty kick -- with the teams alternating on their kicks. Whoever scores the most of their five kicks wins the match.
ReplyDeleteBayern Munich is 4-0 in European matches decided by penalty kicks.
ReplyDeleteChelsea is 0-2 in European matches decided by penalty kicks.
After the first pair of kicks:
ReplyDeleteBayern Munich 1 - 0 Chelsea
Phillip Lahm blasted his kick into the upper right corner
Juan Mata's kick was saved.
Same old Germany.
After the second pair:
ReplyDeleteBayern Munich 2 - 1 Chelsea.
Mario Gomez blasts into the corner.
David Lulz responds for Chelsea.
After the third pair:
ReplyDeleteBayern Munich 3 - 2 Chelsea
Just to show how easy penalty kicks are for Germans, Bayern Munich has THEIR GOALKEEPER take one. He blasts it home.
Frank Lampard responds for Chelsea.
After the fourth pair:
ReplyDeleteBayern Munich 3 - 3 Chelsea
Ivica Olic's penalty is SAVED by Chelsea's goalkeeper.
Ashley Cole TIES THE MATCH for Chelsea.
After the fifth (and final) pair:
ReplyDeleteBayern Munich 3 - 4 Chelsea
For their last kick, Bayern Munich send up Bastian Schweinsteiger, a midfielder who is a native of Bavaria, and who has spent his whole career with the club. Given Germany's usual success with penalty kicks, everyone expects him to make the kick -- but he HITS THE POST, and the ball bounces away.
Up to this point, Bayern Munich has had the advantage ever since the game kicked off. They had the ball most of the time. They had the lead for awhile. They went first in all the penalty kicks. For the whole game, Chelsea -- already haunted by years of frustrating defeats in the Champions' League -- has been on the defense. But now, all of a sudden, Didier Drogba -- the same player who tied the game in the 88th minute -- steps up with a chance to win the whole thing on one kick.
Four years ago, Drogba was on a Chelsea team that faced Manchester United in the Champions' League final. Deep in extra time, with the score tied 1-1, Drogba committed a silly foul and was thrown out of the game. The game went to penalty kicks. Man Utd made 4 of 5 kicks, while Chelsea made their first four. Chelsea could have won the title by making their last penalty kick -- and normally Drogba would have been the guy to take that kick. But he was out. So John Terry (a defensive player) was forced to take the potential game-winning kick. He missed, and Man Utd eventually prevailed in sudden death penalty kicks.
Now, four years later, Terry wasn't allowed to play in this game because of a red card he received against Barcelona, and Drogba finally had the chance to win the title by making the last kick. HE DID IT, slotting the ball easily into the net in front of thousands of extremely disappointed Bayern Munich fans. Finally, after years and years of disappointment, CHELSEA ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE. Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.
OH, MY!!!
DeleteSpare a thought for the poor Spurs fans, whose team will not get the $32 million payout that goes to any team that reaches the Champions' League.
ReplyDeleteHere are the last 10 results in the Champions' League Final:
ReplyDelete2002-03: AC Milan (ITA) 0, Juventus (ITA) 0 (AC Milan won 3-2 on PK's).
2003-04: Porto (POR) 3, Monaco (FRA) 0
2004-05: Liverpool (ENG) 3, AC Milan (ITA) 3 (Liverpool won 3-2 on PK's)
2005-06: Barcelona (ESP) 2, Arsenal (ENG) 1
2006-07: AC Milan (ITA) 2, Liverpool (ENG) 1
2007-08: Manchester Utd (ENG) 1, Chelsea (ENG) 1 (Man Utd won 6-5 on PK's)
2008-09: Barcelona (ESP) 2, Manchester Utd (ENG) 0
2009-10: Internazionale (ITA) 2, Bayern Munich (GER) 0
2010-11: Barcelona (ESP) 3, Manchester Utd (ENG) 1
2011-12: Chelsea (ENG) 1, Bayern Munich (GER) 1 (Chelsea won 4-3 on PK's)
What a great and thrilling report! WOW! Excellent stuff, GoHeath!
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