4 The Match

Over the course of my 15+ years following football, I have seen so many great games. Some of them include Liverpool vs AC Milan (2005 Champions League Final), Italy vs England (UEFA Euro 2012), Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid (2012-13 Champions League Semifinal - First Leg),… But the most memorable match I have witnessed was the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final between my favorite club, Manchester United, and their domestic rivals Chelsea.

May 22, 2008…I woke up and turned on the TV at about 2 hours past midnight (an alarm was set the night before)… The usual Champions League theme song has sounded (which is arguably the best sport theme song of all time - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQK0wgi678U)… Game on!

United had control in the early stages of the match, and as a result, Ronaldo scored a header and put us in front. After that, we missed a few opportunities to extend the lead. And then, Chelsea started to take control, and they had an equalizer just before the first half ended. I was really nervous after Chelsea scored. Chelsea then continued to attack and their players almost put the ball in the back of the net twice - those 2 times the ball hit the woodwork. I was so relieved after those moments…

End of regulation… The match is tied at one goal apiece… You know what that means - It means BONUS FOOTBALL! I quickly told my mom (who was still sleeping): “Mom! The match is going to extra time! Wake up!”. Normally, my mom doesn’t care much about watching sports, but on this particular night, she decided to wake up and watch the game with me.

During 30 minutes of extra time, nobody scored. The umpire then blew the whistle to mark the end of the extra time period. We’re having a penalty shoot-out! Prior to this game, I’ve never seen a live penalty shoot-out, so I was a little nervous. I could feel the pressure on both teams as my heart started to beat fast.

Both teams made their first shots… Then, our best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, missed his attempt. I was telling myself: “Oh no! Please don’t!”. After this miss, both teams continued to do well, and Chelsea had a chance to ice the game with their fifth kick. At that moment, I could not control my emotions anymore, so I started crying. I was holding my mom’s hand as Chelsea’s captain John Terry stepped up to take his kick. And the miracle happened… He missed it! He lost his footing and slipped! The ball hit the right post! It went wide! Unbelievable! I cried harder, but this time not because of nervousness, it’s because I was too happy and relieved.

And then… here comes the moment that I’ve been waiting for. The shoot-out right now is “sudden death”. We made our first 2, Chelsea made their first, and about to take their second… He shoots… A SAVE!!!… Our goalkeeper, Edwin Van der Sar, has pulled of the save of his career! The Red Devils are on top of Europe once again! The Old Continent is RED!

Manchester United players with their UEFA Champions League trophy

Wow! What an astonishing match! The best match of my life!

Here’s a link to the match recap, for you viewing pleasure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIMDplQiZgk