Would you believe it? Most people felt the world-famous La Liga rivalry would spill over into the Champions League like it has before. Or at least one would make it to Munich. After all, they are widely accepted to be the best sides in the world, aren't they? Few predicted that both would exit the first leg with deficits and bow out after humdingers at home. But they did. Bayern and Chelsea showed fantastic spirit and strength to hold off these giants from Spain to progress to the event in Munich.
Chelsea, going into the second leg with a slim 1-0 lead, held out with some dedicated defending until Sergio Busquets slotted home a simple one. Not long after, John Terry was shown a straight red for sticking his knee into Alexis Sanchez. The absence of the captain and defender threw Chelsea off track for a while, leading to their conceding another, this time from Iniesta. The Camp Nou rejoiced. But soon, Ramires ran up on the counter and accurately chipped it over Victor Valdes' head. Chelsea now led on away goals. It was to stay that way for a long while, an entire half in fact, until a high ball found Torres, who stormed into the penalty box, ran round a hapless Valdes and scored. Barcelona were stunned. Having been unable to crack the Chelsea defence for a half, they now needed two goals in a matter of seconds. Needless to say, they couldn't; Chelsea had beaten the formidable defending champion and were on their way to Munich for the final.
24 hours later at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich walked onto the ground knowing exactly what to do. Real were on course, with a penalty and an open play goal for Cristiano Ronaldo withing 14 minutes. Bayern were not the kind to be bogged down though. Robben converted a penalty after a foul on Mario Gomez. 2-1 that night, 3-3 aggregate. In the shootout, Kaka and Ronaldo missed the first two penalties, causing Real to be 2-0 behind. At 2-1, Ramos sent one high over the bar, needing Schweinsteiger to just score to send Bayern to the final. Schweinsteiger scored without a problem as the Bayern team whipped off their shirts in unison.
The final at the Allianz Arena promises to be a thriller. Neither side will be domestic champion, but they have a lot to win. The flip side is, both teams will be missing key players after a double yellow in the tournament. This rule has come under fire. Nevertheless, it will be a grand spectacle watched by the world.
Chelsea, going into the second leg with a slim 1-0 lead, held out with some dedicated defending until Sergio Busquets slotted home a simple one. Not long after, John Terry was shown a straight red for sticking his knee into Alexis Sanchez. The absence of the captain and defender threw Chelsea off track for a while, leading to their conceding another, this time from Iniesta. The Camp Nou rejoiced. But soon, Ramires ran up on the counter and accurately chipped it over Victor Valdes' head. Chelsea now led on away goals. It was to stay that way for a long while, an entire half in fact, until a high ball found Torres, who stormed into the penalty box, ran round a hapless Valdes and scored. Barcelona were stunned. Having been unable to crack the Chelsea defence for a half, they now needed two goals in a matter of seconds. Needless to say, they couldn't; Chelsea had beaten the formidable defending champion and were on their way to Munich for the final.
24 hours later at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich walked onto the ground knowing exactly what to do. Real were on course, with a penalty and an open play goal for Cristiano Ronaldo withing 14 minutes. Bayern were not the kind to be bogged down though. Robben converted a penalty after a foul on Mario Gomez. 2-1 that night, 3-3 aggregate. In the shootout, Kaka and Ronaldo missed the first two penalties, causing Real to be 2-0 behind. At 2-1, Ramos sent one high over the bar, needing Schweinsteiger to just score to send Bayern to the final. Schweinsteiger scored without a problem as the Bayern team whipped off their shirts in unison.
The final at the Allianz Arena promises to be a thriller. Neither side will be domestic champion, but they have a lot to win. The flip side is, both teams will be missing key players after a double yellow in the tournament. This rule has come under fire. Nevertheless, it will be a grand spectacle watched by the world.
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