To earn its first-ever UEFA Champions League title, Chelsea can thank a guy who might not even be on the club next season. With his team’s backs against the wall and a daunting Bayern Munich side minutes away from victory, Didier Drogba came to the rescue when he headed home an equalizer that snatched that victory away from their German opponents’ grasp. And when the match came down to penalty kicks, it was Drogba who drilled home the deciding goal that sealed the West London club’s fate as kings of Europe:
But this was hardly a one-man show. There was also Chelsea’s back line playing gutty defense that mostly withstood an unrelenting Munich onslaught, Petr Cech putting together a brilliant, Jonathan Quick-ian performance between the woodwork, and the amazing amount of sheer luck on their side. All proved to be lifelines for the club in front of what was a hostile, pro-Bayern crowd (the match coincidentally was played in Bayern’s home stadium, Allianz Arena). And yet, it all seemed to be for naught when Munich finally broke the scoring barrier in 83rd minute on Thomas Muller‘s header, giving the Bundesliga squad a 1-0 advantage and an apparent victory. Only for Drogba to bail out the Blues five minutes later.
Drogba, however, almost went from a “hero to a zero,” as match announcer Martin Tyler concisely put it, in extra time when his trip of Franck Ribery sent Arjen Robben to the penalty spot for a chance to regain the lead for Munich. But there to stonewall his kick with another outstanding save was Cech, who, if not for Drogba, could have easily taken home Man of the Match honors.
Bayern was the better team on paper and could have — and probably should have — had their red and white ribbons tied to the trophy. But somewhere after Drogba scored that last-gasp equalizer, you could get the sense Chelsea had all the momentum, if not fate, on its side.
The 34-year-old Drogba, a native of Ivory Coast, is rumored to be weighing a lucrative offer to play in China next season. If these are the final images of Drogba in Chelsea blue, I can’t think of a better way for a brilliant eight years at Stamford Bridge to come to an end.
Photo credit: Mitchell Gunn-US PRESSWIRE
