The 2008 Champions League Final: A Painful but Historic Day

May 23 will be remembered as a very significant day in Chelsea’s history. The result was not what we had hoped for, but when taken into perspective, just getting to the final should be celebrated by all those associated with the club.

The club was on the brink of financial collapse before Roman saved us and if you had said to a Chelsea fan 10 years ago that they would play in a Champions League Final they would have laughed and suggested you lay off hard substances.

This fact has largely been glossed over by the media, given the money we have spent. It is common knowledge to anyone who's read a newspaper that we make our money harvesting the hearts of puppies whilst other clubs sell flowers and sunshine.

But the media’s perspective doesn’t matter to those who really matter: the fans. Those who had waited so long and thought they’d never see this day come: Chelsea in a European Cup Final.

Admittedly I wasn’t around in the dark days of the 1970s and 1980s (on account of not being born) and haven’t had it as hard as older fans have. My Dad has told me tales of his exploits following Chelsea home and away throughout the 70s and 80s after coming over from Ireland in 1974.

As strange as it may sound, that defeat should be savored. A fall from grace can occur very quickly in football, and you only have to look at the example of Leeds to see how quickly things can turn sour. In 2002, Leeds played Valencia in a Champions League Semifinal. Five years later they were relegated to the third tier of English football.

We may never again experience what we did on that May evening, and if we do, some might not live to see it again. Some people have waited 20, 30, 40 years to witness Chelsea play in arguably the biggest game in world football alongside the World Cup Final.

The game and experience surrounding the final really did encapsulate what football is all about.

The despair when Ronaldo headed United into the lead, the pandemonium in the stands when Lampard tucked the equalizer away and the sheer torture of penalties. The dejected walk out of the stadium while your opponents remain, celebrating.

It had to be one of us, and it turned out to be Chelsea.

That rain-soaked night in Moscow will sustain the players and the fans who witnessed such heartbreak. We reached a European Cup Final and me and 20,000 other Blues in the stadium sang our hearts out for nearly two hours in the hope that we would do it. But we didn’t, that’s life.

The journey back was hell; my Dad and I were delayed for nine hours at Vnukovo airport. Eventually I arrived home at around 6 p.m. Thursday evening, tired, deflated, but proud. Chelsea should have won the game but luck was on United’s side. We have to move on.

In the end, that's what supporting your team is all about. You go through the pain because you love the club and know that better days will come. You travel to the game knowing that you might lose but you just don’t think about it. All that matters is being there and cheering YOUR team on.

At the time of writing, Phil Scolari has been appointed Chelsea manager and has just been unveiled at a press conference. As always, the club will go on. But that night in Moscow will always be remembered by all associated with the club.

Mark my words: We will be back.

Carefree.