They do not play the favorites, the statistics, not even the fans. They are 11 against 11, this time in Do Dragao, and a combination of its virtues and its defects, a pulse of talents and, finally, a pinch of fortune that ends up tipping the balance, the one that this time left Chelsea’s side , who knew how to overcome first and then hold on to Manchester City to beat them 1-0 and be crowned, for the second time in their history, Champions League champion!
History had a place reserved for one Thomas Tuchel: without the stars of PSG, far from the glamor of Paris, consecration awaited him in the cold and gray skies of London. His touch made Chelsea a fast and lethal machine, to which he added confidence, a cocktail that was completed this Saturday with the longed-for Orejona.
Thirteen minutes passed for the first approaches of the one who proposed the most, Chelsea: Werner got a ‘shot’ in the first and crashed into the post, on the outside, the second against Ederson. And at 16 the little giant Kante headed the defenders of City, like a ghost appearing from behind, taking time from the great sacrifice of the brand to also go for the goal … it is understandable, Werner in that streak needed help.
But once, only once did City approach clearly and it was a goal ball: it was left to Foden but Rudiger’s saving leg appeared to correct all the freedom that De Bruyne had for the subtle assist. And the panic that Walker got when he sneaked through the band and put a cross that none of his people reached! Patience is the virtue that makes Guardiola’s men a latent threat: he knows how to wait, endure and punish.
Meanwhile, on the opposite sidewalk, what Kanté did not do, no one did: it was his turn to start to shake off a bit of the rival dominance in a pass to Havertz that was wasted by the efficient local brand. The sadness of the day would come when Thiago Silva, the talisman of Tuchel, fell to the ground, unable to continue on the field due to injury, bitterly ending the dream of a Champions League final, which at 37 years seemed something like seeing pass the last train.
To his relief, on the court his people were not going to let him die: at 42 came the error that changes all the stories, that of the markers who let Havertz escape through the middle unopposed, to face Ederson, who made what he could when the German, more alive, opened the ball and defined before an empty door. The blink of the City, which can also be lethal.
It was all bad for City coming back from halftime, when they lost De Bruyne (almost nobody!) To a violent collision with Rudiger, something like being run over by a truck, and Gabriel Jesus arrived at the game. They asked for a penalty for a hand that was not, a clash of the knees they protested with the soul, each touch was an excuse to look for a goal that did not arrive, with a Chelsea that defended itself without penalty, sheltered in its area, rejecting practical and for some ugly but, in the end, efficient. Like the Mourinho bus, Tuchel version.
The only lucky smile was that goal almost made at 72 that Pulisic wasted and gave life to his rival. But afterwards, Guardiola’s always fast men couldn’t make a difference and the watch had on the darkest shirt on the Do Dragao court.
Foden was shaken again at 89 and put a sustazo in Mendy’s area, which ended up bouncing outside and leaving without danger: because to be champion you also have to play the ball with your team’s shirt.
And they gave 7 minutes of addition, seven! And at such heights it was again the immeasurable Kanté who deactivated the bombs, cut the cables in his area and subdued his rival. The right ear of the trophy, at the very least, has to be his! Mahrez did his thing by opening the auction wide at 90 + 5 and there was no full nail left in the stands.
There would be no Aguero that would work and the clock would condemn the aspiration of a Guardiola who once again was left empty-handed in the Champions League, despite all the millions and all the efforts. In the end, Chelsea beat him well. That consolation remains.
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