Open Mike Monday: Manchester City's Epic Finish, Falcao's Tour De Force

When they tell the story of the 2011-12 season, this is where they'll start.

This week, Manchester City won the English Premier League title by beating Queens Park Rangers 3-2 on the final day of the season, in the final moments of the season, with almost the final kick of the season.

Even that doesn't begin to tell the story, of course, and neither will anything I write here. It only happened on Sunday, after all, but if you witnessed the drama, you already know that you'll be telling your grandkids about all this one day.

And if you haven't seen it, don't you have something to do?

Best Finish

Forty-four years of waiting were almost worth it.

Almost worth the undiluted joy on the faces of the Manchester City faithful, bouncing up and down almost as one exuberant unit.

Almost worth the unmistakable disappointment on the face of Sir Alex Ferguson as the news reached the Manchester United boss at the Stadium of Light.

Almost.

For so long, City had played the role of little brother dutifully, noisy yes, but always mindful of their rightful place.

But then, after erasing an eight-point April deficit, and after facing certain defeat at the hands of 10 relegation-threatened men from QPR, City turned the tables on United in five breathless stoppage-time minutes.

The finishing touch was Sergio Aguero's, but the victory, and the trophy, and the wiping away of 44 years of pain belonged to every Manchester City fan.

It was, without doubt, the best finish in English Premier League history. None of us will ever forget it.

Most Underwhelming Giants

Remember when this was supposed to be one of Sir Alex Ferguson's best moments?

With a big-league lead and the weight of history propelling him into the stretch run, Ferguson seemed destined for yet another trophy and yet more glory. And what's more, this one was to be more impressive precisely because of United's shortcomings on the pitch.

Now, though, Fergie is left mostly with United's shortcomings—and a disappointing season almost totally devoid of glory.

"Almost" because United did win the Community Shield last August, but even that "glory" can't mask the Red Devils' dual failures in Europe and a stunning eight-point collapse in the league.

If United can take solace, it's in the fact that they're not alone as an under-performing member of the European elite.

In Italy, AC Milan just completed a similar season, winning the Supercoppa Italiana (also in August) but nothing else.

It's been a weird, wonderful European season, and the fact that neither AC Milan nor Manchester United won anything might be one of the weirdest parts of all.

Of course, whether or not that part is wonderful depends on who you support.

Most Convincing Double

Borussia Dortmund won Germany's Bundesliga by eight points over second-placed Bayern Munich.

The same two teams met over the weekend in the final of the German cup, and Borussia Dortmund won 5-2.

Such a demolition—whether or not Bayern would admit to calling it that—pays testament to how good Dortmund can be.

So does this: Bayern, the same team Dortmund beat at every time of asking this season, deservedly eliminated Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals.

And this: Dortmund set a new Bundesliga record with 81 points and finished the season on a 28-game unbeaten run.

Dortmund, of course, failed spectacularly in this group's first foray into Europe's premier club competition (the club, however, won the Champions League in 1997), but that won't happen again next season.

Next season, this will be a club to watch, both domestically and in European competition.

Most to Prove

With Dortmund riding high, Bayern suddenly have plenty to prove this weekend in the Champions League final.

Bayern, the most successful German club of all time, won neither the Bundesliga nor the DFB-Pokal this season (sound familiar?).

A loss to Chelsea in the final, in Bayern's home stadium, would render the season a colossal failure.

Chelsea, for their part, placed sixth in the English Premier League, their worst finish since 2001-02 (also sixth).

The Blues won the FA Cup, but if they fail to add the Champions League trophy to their collection, that would mean a year away from the money and prestige of Europe's top club competition.

You don't have to be a Russian oil tycoon to figure out how costly that would be for Chelsea.

Deadliest Finisher

When it comes to playing center forward well and scoring and leading teams to glory, Radamel Falcao is all that is man.

This past week, the deadly Colombian played the role of Europa League match-winner for the second time in as many seasons, leading Atletico Madrid to a 3-0 victory over Spanish rivals Athletic Bilbao.

It was the latest tour de force in a career that's fast becoming legendary for its big-game exploits.

Falcao scored twice this time. Both goals came in the first half and both were beauties, and Falcao was the most important player on the pitch.

A year ago, in the same match, Falcao scored the only goal, a header, in Porto's 1-0 win over Braga.

By now, it's past time to marvel Falcao's genius. Now, it's time to just sit back and appreciate it.

Question is, where will he show off his gift next season?

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