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| Today we recap some of the most amazing matches of last season as the BLUES marched on and became European Champions.... |
No one except Chelsea fans believed it was possible. That is why, when we finally won the Champions League on May 19th 2012, Chelsea fans were beyond jubilant. Our tireless faith had paid off, & we became Champions of Europe for the 1st time in our history.The win wasn't a "fluke", by any means. The team worked extremely hard to win the trophy. We may not have had the best team in the tournament, but our desire & never-say-die attitude eventually came through. Let us now take a look at the 5 best matches we played in the Champions League:-
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| Chelsea celebrating the 3rd goal vs. Valencia |
1)
Chelsea vs. Valencia, December 6th 2011- I believe this match was the turning point for us in our Champions League campaign. Chelsea had to win this match in order to qualify for the knock-out stages, but that was easier said than done. Results weren't exactly going our way, & there were rumours of dressing-room unrest between the players & the manager. The performance that we saw was nothing less than magnificent. The team played mostly on the counter, allowing Valencia to play their game. The tactic worked wonders. Didier Drogba chose that night to show Chelsea that he still had it, producing a fine performance that included 2 goals & 1 assist. Chelsea won the game 3-0, & that match was the moment that Chelsea fans realized that this could be our year.
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| Ivanovic (right) after scoring the winner |
2)
Chelsea vs. Napoli, March 14th 2012- 3-1 down after the first leg. Andre Villas-Boas sacked. Club in total disarray. No one expected us to make the quarter-finals. The match started, & Didier Drogba proved his love for the big stage once again by putting Chelsea ahead. Later, John Terry scored from a corner to make it 2-0. This scoreline was enough to see us through. But Napoli pulled one back. 2-1. Now Chelsea needed 2 goals to go through. When fans were beginning to lose hope, a penalty was awarded to Chelsea for handball. Frank Lampard stepped up, & showed us all exactly why we call him Super Frank. Into extra-time, & Fernando Torres, who had come on as a sub, missed a chance to put us ahead. But it didn't prove too costly as Ivanovic scored what was to be the winner. Chelsea won 5-4 on aggregate & were through to the quarters, against all odds.
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| Drogba scoring the only goal of the match |
3)
Chelsea vs. Barcelona, April 18th 2012- The first leg of what promised to be an interesting and intense semi-final. The match had special significance for Chelsea fans after what had happened the last time these 2 teams clashed at Stamford Bridge. As was expected, Barcelona had most of the possession, but that was exactly what Chelsea wanted. On what seemed to be our first chance to break, Didier Drogba (who else?) scored right before half-time. Barcelona came out all guns blazing in the 2nd half, but nothing they did seemed to break down a stubborn Chelsea defence. Chelsea went into the 2nd leg at the Camp Nou with a lead to protect, albeit a slender one.
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| Torres scoring in injury-time |
4)
Barcelona vs. Chelsea, April 24th 2012- The second leg of the semi-final. Chelsea had a 1-0 lead after the 1st leg, but that lead quickly disappeared when Sergio Busquets found the back of the net in the 35th minute. Minutes later, John Terry was given a straight red card for a foul on Alexis Sanchez. Iniesta then doubled their lead in the 43rd minute, & it appeared to be all but over for Chelsea. However, a delightful chip by Ramires made the score 2-1, & suddenly the tie was back in our favour. The next half was spent mostly trying to defend our slender advantage. There were some scary moments, like the penalty Drogba conceded. But Lionel Messi failed to convert the effort, & Chelsea kept digging deep, simply refusing to yield. Then, in injury time, a Barcelona attack was cleared down-field, & the ball found substitute striker Fernando Torres, who was clean through with only the keeper to beat. He went around Valdes & calmly slotted home, hence ending any hopes Barca may have had of beating us. Chelsea were through to the finals.
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| Drogba scoring the winning penalty |
5) Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich, May 19th 2012- A day Chelsea fans will never forget for as long as we live (we'll even remember it in our afterlife). This was the day we'd all been waiting for; the finals. Bayern Munich had most of the chances throughout the game, but only scored in the 83rd minute through Thomas Muller. Normally that 1 goal would have sufficed, but Chelsea's stubbornness to let go of the Champions League shone through & Drogba managed to equalize in the 89th minute. Enter extra-time. Bayern had a penalty given to them after Drogba fouled Ribery inside the box, but Robben's kick was poor, & Cech saved. Extra-time finished, & it was down to penalties. Lahm scored Bayern's 1st kick, but Mata's penalty was saved. Cech was in sublime form though, & saved the penalty of Ivica Olic, before Schweinsteiger hit the post. The score was 3-3, & up stepped Didier Drogba. With amazing calm, he slotted home. Chelsea became Champions of Europe.
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