OT: Champions League final discussion & live thread

Submitted by go16blue on

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!

snarling wolverine

May 19th, 2012 at 3:29 PM ^

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.

bacon1431

May 19th, 2012 at 4:13 PM ^

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.

bacon1431

May 19th, 2012 at 4:33 PM ^

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.

jmblue

May 19th, 2012 at 5:10 PM ^

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.

jmblue

May 19th, 2012 at 5:23 PM ^

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.

RioThaN

May 19th, 2012 at 5:31 PM ^

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...

snarling wolverine

May 19th, 2012 at 5:42 PM ^

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.

go16blue

May 19th, 2012 at 7:37 PM ^

Fuck my life. I can't quite believe it, but I feel worse right now than I do after some Michigan losses. Fuck. We deserved better.

MichiganMan14

May 19th, 2012 at 8:04 PM ^

What an assassin! Chelsea finally strokes their name upon the cup. What a statement for the EPL as a league. Chelsea knocks out Barcelona in Barcelona and then puts Bayern to the sword....in Munich for good measure. What Di Mateo has done the past few months is simply astonishing. The Blues!