2000, Real Madrid v/s Valenica, an all-Spanish final…. 2003, AC Milan v/s Juventus, an all-Italian final…. 2008, Manchester United v/s Chelsea, finally an all-English affair!
Barcelona could have been the only road-block to an all-English final for the first time in the history of the European Cup. But the long-serving servant of ManU, Paul Scholes smashed a splendid goal in the second leg and the only goal over 180 minutes of football to dislodge Barcelona and send them home wondering about the many changes that would definitely take place over the summer after a trophyless season. It was a moment to relish for Scholes to put ManU in their third European final especially since he had missed the dramatic 1999 cup win due to suspension.
And not surprisingly it is Chelsea who once again stand between Manchester United and the trophy. The rivalry between these two teams has been on the rise since Mourinho’s arrival. Last season, United derailed Chelsea’s dreams of winning a hattrick of Premiership titles but Chelsea went on to defeat them in the FA Cup final to salvage some pride. This season too Chelsea have come close to denting United’s title ambitions and they will relish to be the thorn in United’s
neck at Moscow as well.
A memorable semi-final clash with Liverpool showed the character of the Blues and their desire to win their first ever European trophy. The last seven clashes between Chelsea and Liverpool prior to the midweek game had resulted in a meager 5 goals. All that was forgotten and the flood gates opened up in a thrilling 3-2 win for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with 3 of these 5 goals being scored in extra time! Chelsea fans’ hearts will go out to Frank Lampard whose mother passed away last week yet he stepped up and scored a crucial goal from the penalty spot in extra time.
And now as action in the Premiership race comes to a boiling finale, the season will still not be over for these two English clubs as Moscow awaits….
In the UEFA Cup semi-final, it was a night of firsts for the Russian Champions Zenit St. Petersburg. They handed German giants Bayern Munich a lesson in football with a 4-0 thrashing at home that ensured their entry into their first ever European Cup final. A splendid night for Dick Advocaat’s team indeed! But striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, one of the goal scorers, will be kicking himself for picking up an unnecessary booking that puts him out of the finals at Manchester.
And the team to meet them in the finals is Advocaat’s former club Rangers from Scotland. One cannot speak highly enough of Walter Smith’s men. They were the epitome of resilience and fortitude against Fiorentina who sent wave after wave of attack but could not break the Rangers’ defence. Carlos Cueller who had a sensational game in defence alongwith Weir had to deal with 29 attempts at goal by Fiorentina compared to 7 for Rangers. And even though Cousin, the Rangers forward got himself stupidly sent off in extra time, Rangers hung onto a goalless draw and took the game to penalties. After Vieri (Fiorentina) skied his penalty over the bar Novo slotted in his kick calmly to put them into their first European final and their third final of this season itself. Rangers’ phenomenal season continues!
So be sure that you have no pending work on these all-important dates….
Wednesday 14th May – Zenit St. Petersburg v/s Rangers (UEFA Cup Finals)
Wednesday 21st May – Manchester United v/s Chelsea (Champions League Finals)
Barcelona could have been the only road-block to an all-English final for the first time in the history of the European Cup. But the long-serving servant of ManU, Paul Scholes smashed a splendid goal in the second leg and the only goal over 180 minutes of football to dislodge Barcelona and send them home wondering about the many changes that would definitely take place over the summer after a trophyless season. It was a moment to relish for Scholes to put ManU in their third European final especially since he had missed the dramatic 1999 cup win due to suspension.And not surprisingly it is Chelsea who once again stand between Manchester United and the trophy. The rivalry between these two teams has been on the rise since Mourinho’s arrival. Last season, United derailed Chelsea’s dreams of winning a hattrick of Premiership titles but Chelsea went on to defeat them in the FA Cup final to salvage some pride. This season too Chelsea have come close to denting United’s title ambitions and they will relish to be the thorn in United’s
neck at Moscow as well.A memorable semi-final clash with Liverpool showed the character of the Blues and their desire to win their first ever European trophy. The last seven clashes between Chelsea and Liverpool prior to the midweek game had resulted in a meager 5 goals. All that was forgotten and the flood gates opened up in a thrilling 3-2 win for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with 3 of these 5 goals being scored in extra time! Chelsea fans’ hearts will go out to Frank Lampard whose mother passed away last week yet he stepped up and scored a crucial goal from the penalty spot in extra time.
And now as action in the Premiership race comes to a boiling finale, the season will still not be over for these two English clubs as Moscow awaits….
In the UEFA Cup semi-final, it was a night of firsts for the Russian Champions Zenit St. Petersburg. They handed German giants Bayern Munich a lesson in football with a 4-0 thrashing at home that ensured their entry into their first ever European Cup final. A splendid night for Dick Advocaat’s team indeed! But striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, one of the goal scorers, will be kicking himself for picking up an unnecessary booking that puts him out of the finals at Manchester.
And the team to meet them in the finals is Advocaat’s former club Rangers from Scotland. One cannot speak highly enough of Walter Smith’s men. They were the epitome of resilience and fortitude against Fiorentina who sent wave after wave of attack but could not break the Rangers’ defence. Carlos Cueller who had a sensational game in defence alongwith Weir had to deal with 29 attempts at goal by Fiorentina compared to 7 for Rangers. And even though Cousin, the Rangers forward got himself stupidly sent off in extra time, Rangers hung onto a goalless draw and took the game to penalties. After Vieri (Fiorentina) skied his penalty over the bar Novo slotted in his kick calmly to put them into their first European final and their third final of this season itself. Rangers’ phenomenal season continues!
So be sure that you have no pending work on these all-important dates….
Wednesday 14th May – Zenit St. Petersburg v/s Rangers (UEFA Cup Finals)
Wednesday 21st May – Manchester United v/s Chelsea (Champions League Finals)
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