"The 2012 UEFA Champions League Final. Where do I
start? As a diehard Chelsea fan, I had not written us off at all but having to
go to Allianz Arena and beat the German heavyweights in Bayern Munich I thought
was quite the daunting task. Add to the fact we were without the suspended
Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires and Raul Meireles I thought made this an
even harder task to accomplish. I can remember this game vividly."
On May 19th, 2012, Chelsea F.C. and Bayern Munich walked
into Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany with a chance for the ultimate prize in
Club Football; the UEFA Champions League trophy. To say the Champions League
final is important is like saying Orlando Bloom sucked in Troy; it's stating
the obvious. This was no different, although it looked to be a one sided
affair. On one side, Bayern Munich boasted an immense history of greatness
(eight Champions League final appearances prior to 2012), a literal home field
advantage, and perhaps the best team they had ever assembled, featuring world
class players like Mario Gomez, Thomas Mueller, Arjen Robben and the
wonderfully named Frank Ribbery. And then...there was Chelsea. Not that the
team wasn't something to sneeze at, but compared to Bayern, the West London
based club was a vast underdog. Their history was strong primarily in their own
league (England's Premier League), with only one prior Champions League final
prior to 2012. Their season had featured more turmoil than a tabloid
relationship, which saw managers getting sacked, the team failing to live up to
expectations and players like Fernando Torres (alright, just Fernando Torres)
coming in for $50 million, only to stink up the joint. If Bayern Munich was
Superman, Chelsea was Howard the Duck.
 |
| Chelsea's opponents, Bayern Munich |
And yet, for all the turmoil, all the struggles, things
began to click towards the end of the year. Caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo
somehow rallied the troops together, righting the ship in the Champions League
and leading Chelsea to an FA Cup victory. Torres salvaged his disappointing
season with a game clinching goal against F.C. Barcelona in the Champions League
semi-final, even if some people involved with this column still refuse to give
him props. But most importantly, Chelsea's two leaders, keeper Petr Čech and striker
Didier Drogba, stepped up when needed most. The combination of it all willed
Chelsea into the Champions League final, where after all they had done, still
made them the ultimate underdog. A four time Champions League winner losing to
a club that had never won? A stable, attacking club going down to a club caked
in turmoil, managed by a interim caretaker and missing four of its best players
(including captain John Terry)? It was unthinkable. It was impossible. It was
whatever brilliant word Martin Tyler (who called the game as he so wonderfully
does) came up with to describe against all odds that day. Chelsea wasn't
supposed to win.
"This game was a tale of two halves. We spent the
majority of the first half in our own territory doing what we do best,
defending. I've always been of the belief that defence wins matches. No matter
the sport. The longer and longer this game went on the more confident I got.
The second half Bayern scored but thankfully were ruled off side. We had our
best chances of the game. It all started to open up as both teams started to
take more chances to get the win."
So imagine everyone's surprise when, by the 80th minute of
the Final, it looked like Chelsea could indeed win it. Despite a relenting
Bayern attack, Roberto Di Matteo's squad took every punch and kept getting up.
The defence stood strong. Čech, already a legend in many circles, was
borderline mythical, doing so well that a frustrated Bayern Munich squad
started blowing numerous chances as the game went along (I've never seen a
talented club shoot so many shots so far wide. It was like watching Florida
State kickers in warm up). And as my good friend Matt Mortensen points out,
Chelsea started to get more chances as the game went along. At worst, it looked
like the West London squad could at least take this to penalty kicks, the
sporting equivalent of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and the Russian roulette
scene from The Deer Hunter (and something Chelsea fans gladly would've taken).
Then Bayern scored on a beautiful Thomas Mueller header, and it seemed to have
all slipped away. For all the trials and tribulations Chelsea was going to come
up just a tad...oh alright, you know where this is going.
Just a little more than five minutes after Mueller's goal,
Chelsea, in the words of Tyler, "pulled the rabbit out of the hat
again." Armed with a corner kick, attacking midfielder Juan Mata fired a
ball into the box, right towards a streaking Didier Drogba. The best offensive
player Chelsea had ever seen ripped a beautiful header right into the top left
corner of the net; a damn near perfect shot considering the amount of room
there was in the net, I think there was more room in the cupboard Harry Potter
used to sleep in. In any event, the game was tied, and the agonizing final went
to extra time. Once again, Bayern Munich looked like they would pull it out
after they were awarded a penalty shot in the first leg of extra time, only for
Čech (again, just otherworldly in this game) to stop Arjen Robben. With little
drama in the second leg of extra time, it set up for the ultimate type of
finish; penalty kicks.
Like I said earlier, penalty kicks aren't fun, unless you're
someone who doesn't care what happens. Otherwise, you're probably somewhere
between Lloyd Bridges in Airplane and Robert Hays flying the plane in Airplane
(two Airplane references. SCORE!). This particular scenario was torture for
Chelsea fans. Once more, Bayern looked to be in control, going up 3-1 to start,
a scenario that's the equivalent of being up 5-0 in regular time. But in what
proved to be the recurring game of this game and Chelsea's whole season,
everything flipped. Chelsea hit their next two penalty kicks. Čech stopped Ivica
Olić and Bastian Schweinsteiger (great name) consecutively, capping one of
the best games by a keeper in football history. All of it set the stage for
perhaps the most fitting finale this game could possibly have; Didier Drogba, the
Chelsea legend potentially playing in his final game for the club (he would
leave after the season, but return in 2014), going to the box for a chance to
win.
In case you missed that, Drogba, as cool as Mr. Freeze,
knocked the ball into the net, immediately sprinting off into the arms of his
keeper. Fitting that the first two embrace were the two main reasons Chelsea
somehow won (both were named Man of the Match by UEFA and the fans
respectively). The Chelsea contingent in Munich went insane. The remaining
Chelsea players sprinted across the field in sheer ecstasy. The most iconic
moment for me remains the celebration of David Luiz, the charismatic Brazilian
defender with hair that resembles that of former WWE star Carlito. Luiz would
run all the way back towards the other end of the pitch, and with tears in his
eyes, dropped to his knees and pointed to the stars. No other image captured
Chelsea's victory better than Luiz's reaction; relief, joy, exhaustion. It's
something I'll never forget.
But to be fair, there's a lot of things no one will ever
forget about this Chelsea team. I may not personally be a fan of the club;
hell, they are rivals with my team, the now relegated Queens Park Rangers (go
away Robert Green). But as much as I may sometimes despise them (not really), I
appreciate great sports stories more. And this was a great sports story. Much
like the Calgary Flames of the NHL this year, Chelsea should've folded long
before the final. They disappointed all year in the Premier League, they fired
their manager and replaced him with a first time guy, and they were absolutely
outmatched against both Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the final two stages of
the Champions League. It should've fallen apart. Instead, it came together; Di
Matteo turned out to be the right man for the job, Fernando Torres found
himself, the team never stopped fighting and Drogba and Čech stood up and lived
up to their already enormous legacies. And low and behold, look what we're
talking about three years later? Chelsea F.C. has had a long history of great
moments in football, but none quite like this. I think my buddy Matt sums it up
best.
"This moment in time is my greatest football memory as
a Chelsea supporter and I dare say many other Chelsea supporters. Quite
possibly my greatest football memory of all time."
I somehow doubt that he's alone in that thought.
Follow Cult Icon and Matt Mortensen on Twitter @CultIcon @HBK4EVER17
Email Cult Icon at fallenhero17@yahoo.com
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