The Final roll call has been made and the battle for the most coverted club trophy has reached boiling point. The ironic end to the drama that was started by the elimination of England from participation in the eagerly awaited EURO 2008 championships billed for Austria and Switzerland ends with two English clubs meeting in the finals of the UEFA Champions League in Moscow(the capital of Russia, a country actively involved in the plot that ensured the English absence in EURO 2008).
Thumbs up to the clubs that have hit the end of the road, Manchester United F.C. and Chelsea F.C., who had to get through both the resilient and dreaded Liverpool and the classy Barcelona in some of the most exciting and result oriented semi-final ties. Its fair to point out that in both ties the two triumphant teams were outplayed and only applied the most precise playing patterns to effectively get the much needed results.
While ManYoo were completely outclassed by a very calm Barcelona who did seem very blunt in attack unlike its vibrancy in midfield, Chelski did have to come up with some ruthless play to tame their very familiar opponents who it has to be stated had gotten the better of them on two previous occassions. A vintage Paul Scholes stunner was all that seperated the Old Trafford trip, while it took four goals from Michel Ballack, Didier Drogba and that howler from John Arne Riise for and two against for the Blues to wrap up what must be described as third time lucky for them.
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This were not the best two semifinal ties of all times but it had something about it that ensured yyou wanted to sit through it to watch Christiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi and Steve Gerard vs Frank Lampard/Michel Ballack. In between, the thought of watching Micheal Essien and Javier Macherano having a go at each other was something to savour. The antics of Didier Drogba and the ruthlessness of Fernando Torres would come to the fore and the mental thoughness of John Terry as compared to that the ever dependable Jamie Carragher possessed would be tested. The comic uncalmess of Van Der Sar and Valdez would not missed for anything in the world by yours truely.
It must not be passed as light the comparism of the two managers on opposite sides of each of the four teams. The old Ferguson as calm as ever and the figure of Rijkard as restless and unconvincing as ever. The Comic appreciation and calculation of Rafa Benitez as against the sober and often helpeless look of Avram Grant.
Whatever you expected, you got entertainment and precision on the night's as probably football's best answered the call of the faithfuls.
In the end it certainly looks like the two teams who seemed most like wanting the trophy would go head to head for it in the East of Europe and maybe we might watch to see the overall influence of the billionaire Abrahamovic in his homeland on the outcome of this eagerly anticipated final.
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