We still remember exactly the time Chelsea’s fan cried because of football: May 21, 2008. That day the Champions League final brought together Chelsea and Manchester United. All Chelsea supporters, hope that John Terry and his friends can lift Big Ears for the first time.
When Cristiano Ronaldo scored with a header, Chelsea players’ head were down. Luckily Frank Lampard scored the equalizer. Because the score was still equal until extra time was over, the match went to a penalty shootout. Chelsea supporters definitely have mixed feelings. Since Didier Drogba got a red card for trying to slap Nemanja Vidic, confidence in Chelsea waned second by second.
Edwin Van der Sar that early morning looked like a wall. Incidentally, the goalkeeper’s costume matched the green color of the sponsor board “Heineken”. Visually, Van der Sar’s body seems to widen to the right when viewed from the television screen. Luckily the Chelsea executioners were not fooled by the color camouflage. The skies of Moscow rained with fresh wind blowing towards Chelsea. Understandably, Cristiano’s kick was thwarted by Petr Cech. Chelsea are temporarily superior. The next kick will be the winner.
At a crucial moment like this, Terry stepped up as the executor. I’m nervous too shaking. Terry was strong in the head but not in the legs. If only Drogba was still on the field, of course the Ivory Coast striker would have executed. But what can they do, the Chelsea captain’s legs seem to be the threshold between success and failure.
Then there was a tragic moment that they will never forget for the rest of their life. Terry failed to execute. In football, it’s normal for players to miss a penalty, but only a few miss because of a slip. The captain’s failure means Chelsea’s failure too. Luzhniki Stadium is still not ready to see a new champion of the Champions League. Chelsea also had to be content to wait for the following years to become champions.
Inevitably, the tragedy still haunts Terry to this day. “I only slept a few hours and woke up every time, wishing it was all just a bad dream. I’m not ashamed to cry. This is the trophy I’ve wanted for years,” Terry was quoted as saying by Soccer magazine published in August 2009.
Four years later, Terry still hasn’t woken up from a nightmare. In the Champions League semifinal, Chelsea met Barcelona. In the second leg which was held at Camp Nou, Terry made a ridiculous act. His right knee rose slightly towards Alexis Sanchez’s ass. The Chilean player fell and unfortunately the referee saw the incident between the two. Red card for Terry. Despite playing with ten men, Chelsea were able to hold back Pep Guardiola’s troops with a score of 2-2. Chelsea has the right to the final by winning 3-2 on aggregate.
The punishment prevented Terry from appearing in the final match which was held at the Allianz Arena. Suddenly my memory turned the page when Terry appeared in the final on May 21, 2008 in Russia. For me, Terry’s absence might be a blessing considering the last time he appeared in the Champions League final, he acted. After all, tactically, Chelsea still have a duo of Gary Cahill and David Luiz.
Sure enough, Chelsea won that night. The final scenario that night was the same as the final four years ago, settled on penalties. Only difference: during the penalty shootout at the Allianz Arena, We didn’t see Terry. And we all know that it was definitely a happy ending after all for all Chelsea players and supporters. And even better, they won another Champions league last season.
ASL
