Greetings!
It was 2012, the weekend when I am casually searching for something to watch on cable TV when I stumbled upon a football matchup between two of the best-known teams in Europe. The match is between Bayern Munich and Chelsea the channel that is broadcasting at the time immediately caught my attention because it says "LIVE", the commentators are very good, the background noise seems too intense to ignore.
And right at the bat I immediately glued to the matchup because of the interesting commentary of the commentators of the match. A lot has been said about both teams that tickle my imagination.
With that said I ended up watching the whole matchup from the kick-off to finish.
The game is very intense and Bayern is under pressure to win the game since they are playing on their own soil. Then a header from Thomas Mueller put the Bundesliga powerhouse ahead, 1-0. Fans of The Blues fell silent because the title is slipping away from them.
And then at the dying minutes of the game, another header finds the back of the net, this time from the Greatest Knight in Chelsea history that put The Blues into contention. I too, at that moment am very happy on the equalizer of Didier Drogba. Suddenly, fans of The Blues came alive. Also, right at that moment, I became a huge fan of Drogba.
But then another nail brighter put a scare into the hearts of Chelsea fans when Drogba drops Frank Ribery to the ground. The referee gave Drogba a yellow card which in turn rewarded a penalty kick (Jupp Heynckes chose Arjen Robben to take the penalty kick).
But Arjen Robben failed to find the back of the net thanks to the heroics of Petr Čech who was able to deny Arjen Robben to convert the penalty kick.
Below, Petr Čech stretching his arm indicating he is very ready to defend the goal...
And he did, in a very emotional passion, he hugs the ball after he stopped it in finding the back of the goal...
A Penalty Shootout for the Ages
The match is very intense even more intense because it has to be decided on a penalty shootout. As we all know, the shootout calls for the best striker in a team to partake in the shootout. This is where the best of the best will be called in order to win a football match by penalty shootout.
Early in the shootout the Bundesliga powerhouse again has the early upper hand. But the table has turned when Bastian Schweinsteiger hit the post. But not only that, the commentator is saying that Petr Čech gave the ball a slight nudge which in turn makes the ball hit the post, the score is tied (replay showed Petr Čech indeed touched the footnall).
After Bastian Schweinsteiger's kick it is now Didier Drogba's turn. Watching Drogba standing close to the football is a nerve-racking moment, you will never know what will happen until that football is kicked.
Commentator on Drogba: "This is his last kick of a football for Chelsea...
And Drogba delivers, successfully finding the back of the net with no opposition because the goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, falsely thought that the football will go to his left side.
Commentator on Drogba: The greatest Knight in Chelsea's history.
Commentator on Chelsea: champions of Europe at last!"
And after scoring the winning penalty kick Drogba can be seen gesturing a sign of the cross while he was met by Petr Čech to hug him.
While Chelsea players are running around in joy because they finally won the UEFA Champions League title, Bayern's players are in deep sorrow while they are on the ground.
As a tradition, managers on both sides shake hands or hug each other after the game.
I love underdog stories and the drama that comes with them. I also love the color blue. This iteration of The Blues is not just plain underdogs they are also playing in the backyard of the home team. It is indeed one of the greatest and memorable triumphs of Chelsea.
Then this year, they have won it again as underdogs, their second title overall.
All images are screenshots from UEFA YouTube Channel
I am an I.T. professional (Computer Engineer) working in a private company, a blogger, a father, and a husband.
