It’s been a nail-biting season for both teams as very few would have predicted an all-English Champions League final. The match, which took place at Estádio do Dragão in Porto due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, was fierce from the outset as Manchester City dominated the first ten minutes against the Londoners and simply weren’t prepared to let the ball go. Chelsea offered very little aggression, evidenced by a surprising 39% ball possession for the entire game, but managed to recover the ball midfield as the first half progressed and create a fair few deadly opportunities as the 45th minute grew closer.
Disappointment struck the London team though as Thiago Silva had to be substituted after seemingly suffering an injury to his groin. The 36-year-old defender fell down after jumping proud over City’s Phil Foden to win a header, but ultimately was replaced by Andreas Christensen at the 39th minute.
A step closer to victory for the Londoners came just minutes later, however as skilled movement from Kai Havertz and Timo Werner saw the ball power down the field with no end in sight. The young German, a record signing for Chelsea, maintained composure and managed to evade City goalkeeper Ederson. This gave Havertz an empty net to roll the ball into at the 42nd minute to make the score 0-1 to Chelsea in front of an admirable crowd of 14,000, securing his first-ever Champions League goal.
The second half was met with even more aggression from City who pressed high and recovered the ball from Chelsea’s long passes successfully, however there was an overwhelming sense of desperation to score that was hard to ignore on the pitch. To add salt to the wound, De Bruyne had to be taken off early on after colliding with Rüdiger and suffering what was originally thought to be a concussion, but was later confirmed to be an acute fracture of the nose and orbital fracture to the left eye socket. The Chelsea player received a yellow card for the foul which was met with disdain from City fans who thought the injury warranted a red card instead.
Pulisic shoots wide at the 72nd minute and misses a brilliant opportunity to pile the pressure on City once again and we later see Aguero replace Sterling for his final ever Manchester City appearance. Despite the hopes and dreams of a fairytale ending and seven(!) minutes of extra time, the London team managed to make history and secure their 3rd Champions League win!
Emotions were high as Chelsea lifted the trophy for the first time since 2012. Manager Thomas Tuchel was joined on the pitch by his family and the players donned their winner’s medals proudly as the celebrations continued both on field and in the stands. It’s safe to say this will be a UEFA Champions League final we won’t be forgetting anytime soon!