Chelsea: Champions of Europe

On the twenty ninth of May Chelsea was crowned champions of Europe defying all odds. This win came at the right time following a disappointing performance at the FA finals against Leicester and a loss to Aston Villa which took them down to the fourth place on the EPL table.

Few minutes to the half time break, Kai Havertz assisted by Mason Mount scored the only goal of the match taking his team to claim the biggest prize in club football in front of thousands of fans at Porto’s Estadio Dragao in Portugal. Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea’s coach, was elated at the performance of his team having come so close the previous season to winning the Champions League with his former team Paris Saint Germain. Meanwhile, Manchester City’s wait for European glory continues after making its first final in this season’s competition.

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Chelsea, which last won the Champions League in 2012, was worthy of the win having executed a perfect game plan masterminded from Tuchel, who took over from club legend Frank Lampard in January.

“They (the players) were determined to win this. We wanted to be a stone in their (Manchester City’s) shoe,” an emotional Tuchel told BT Sport after the game.

“We encouraged everybody to step up and step out, to be more brave and create dangerous counterattacks.”

Both sides lost key players during the final. Chelsea’s veteran defender Thiago Silva picked up an injury in the first half and City captain Kevin De Bruyne had to be subbed in the second half. Thiago was anxious to help his team win the league after coming so close last season against Bayern Munich.

In truth, Chelsea could have scored more. Striker Timo Werner missed two glorious opportunities in the opening stages and Christian Pulisic shot wide in the second half.Despite missing his chance, Pulisic made history. When he was subbed on for Werner in the second half, he became the first American male to play in a Champions League final and became the first American on a Champions League winner as well.

Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy made history as well, becoming the first African goalkeeper to play in a Champion’s League final. Mendy’s clean sheet is his ninth in 12 Champions League matches this season, the most ever in a single campaign. The 22-year-old Mount, who came through the academy at the club, struggled to contain his emotions after the final whistle.

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“To go all the way in the Champions League. We played some tough teams. We are in a final and we won it,” he told BT Sport. “It’s such a special occasion. At this moment in time, we’re the best team in the world. You can’t take that away from us.”