OT: Champions League final discussion & live thread
The Champions League final has finally arrived, after months of build up. It features a pair of unlikely semifinal winners, as Chelsea and Bayern Munich upset Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively. The game will be played in Allianz Arena (home to Bayern Munich), which most say will benefit Bayern. Both teams come in with multiple players suspended for yellow cards in the semi-finals, with Chelsea hit slightly harder. Bayern plays a very meticulous, attacking style, focusing on good passing and good wings capable of shooting as well as crossing. Chelsea plays more of a deep, counter-attacking style, featuring star playmaker Didier Drogba at striker. Bayern is normally amazing at home, but in a game of this magnitude with this much emotion, all of that goes out the window.
The winner gets a trophy, bragging rights, and a large cash reward. Beyond that, the implications in the English Premier League are huge, as if Chelsea win they will take a 2012-13 Champions League spot from my beloved Spurs.
And before you soccer haters show up and ask "who cares," last year over 300 million people watched the final, much more than the super bowl. So please, if you don't like soccer, keep it civil.
The game starts at 2:30 on Fox
Come On You Bavarians!! Can't wait!
It's been more of a league/national pride thing on the Wolves board. Sort of like rooting for the B1G in bowls.
I am stuck at work and willing to pay. So it does not have to be free.
Fix your feed FOX
They just cut Martin Tyler off (tech difficulties)
Alright, now he's back
Everyone seems to rave about Allianz Arena. Am I the only one who finds it pretty ugly from the exterior?
To me it looks like a giant, partially flattened golf ball. I'll grant that it looks a little better at night when it's lit up.
Bayern just can't finish tonight. They really should have several goals. Chelsea might escape with another one. But that's been the story for them this Champions League.
Bayern Munich finally breaks through in the 83rd minute!!!!
Good job Bayern. Close it out
Look of shock on face.
Drogba!
That was a bullet by Drogba
chelsea!
If Bayern loses, they only have themselves to blame. Had so many opportunities and just could not close them out. Chelsea has already made a couple of comebacks in the knock-out stage. Maybe they have another.
They dominate 75% of possession then give up a goal on the one or two chances the other team finally gets.
So, it has come to this...
Chelsea has to win this game, right?
And Cech with the huge stop, it just doesn't seem like the stars want Chelsea to lose
This game is ridiculous. These two weekends of matches have been great
Was hoping karma would head Drogba's way after watching him flop game after game after game. But Cech bails him out.
That's nothing. There was a point last year when the Wolves' Steven Fletcher was trending. I was like whaaaaaaaaaaa?
I've always thought soccer should allow teams to get an additional sub or two for extra time. Three substitutes might be enough to go 90 minutes, but to go another 30 on top of that, you should be allowed more fresh legs. Cramping always seems to be an issue in extra time as it is.
SHOOTOUT
2 fantastic keepers. This should be good.
Redemption time for Drogba? He missed a penalty in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year and Cote d'Ivoire lost in a shootout.
Looks like he'll get his chance.....
Good call...
Just chiming in to say a goalie scoring on another goalie is boss.
OMG!
Damn it.
Chelsea wins it gratz
This makes Chelsea the worst champion ever, Drogba is no John Terry and scores the last shot, good for them they had something, I don't know what, backing them up...
I'm not pleased with the team winning, Go Bayern, but that was an absolutely epic game. Congrats and props to the European champs.
Friedel must be crushed right now. I can't imagine him having to do the postgame show and act like he's not upset.
No kidding. What cruel bastard had the idea to ask him to work the game? And why would he accept!
There's always some joy in seeing them lose.
Penalty shootouts are fun to watch when you don't really care who wins (which was the case for me today). If you have a rooting interest, though, it's a pretty crappy way to decide a champion. It's just so . . . random.
Congrats Chelski
Comiseration, Spurs fans. you deserved better.
I was gutted and I'm not even a Tottenham or Bayern fan. Sucks for sure
On the bright side, Detroit City FC garnered their first ever victory with a 4-0 defeat of Binghamton.
Well that's some solace. Hopefully they can keep it up and get a win next time they're at home, too.
Chelsea win CL, Man City win the league...It has finally come to this, where it seems you CAN buy trophies in soccer.
But there are plenty of big-spenders who didn't win anything. Spending a lot, in and of itself, is not a guarantee of success. (The converse - that not spending is a virtual guarantee of not succeeding - is more accurate, granted, although Montpellier in France is an exception.)