UCL final: Chelsea Football Club has done the unbelievable by writing yet another history after dumping out world class Madrid to book a place in the UEFA Champions League (UCL final).
Thomas Tuchel’s men dominated Real Madrid in the second leg to bring the aggregate score to 3-1 in the semifinal. Manchester City now awaits Chelsea in the second all-English UCL final in three years. However, that’s still almost a month away. For now, we look back and celebrate the accomplishments of Chelsea’s historic season thus far.
The Blues’ 2-0 victory over the Spanish giants meant more than just a ticket punched. The first team’s triumph saw Chelsea Football Club achieve something no other club in the history of European football has ever done.
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The Blues will be aiming for Champions League trophies in both the men’s and women’s UCL finals. The runs of each team are ones for the history books and although they’ve reached the peak of their respective tournaments, they’ve taken different paths to get there.
Chelsea has lost just one of its games in this year’s tournament—a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Porto—and conceding just four goals in Europe. Scaling through the group stages to Atletico Madrid, Porto and Real Madrid in the knockout rounds, the Blues have continued to steamroll opponents with their stubborn defense.
On the other side, Emma Hayes has guided the Chelsea Women to their first ever UEFA Champions League final in their storied history. Hayes, who has managed the club since 2012, has always mentioned that the UWCL title was her goal.
Emma Hayes was in tears as her Chelsea side beat Bayern Munich 4-1 at Kingsmeadow to secure a 5-3 aggregate victory – and a place in the Women’s Champions League final.
“My dreams came true today,” the manager told journalists afterwards.
Two goals from Fran Kirby, plus a rebound free kick from Ji So-Yun and a header from Pernille Harder did the damage.
But the score line tells only part of the story of a dramatic afternoon at Kingsmeadow.
Right up until seven minutes from time, it looked like extra time was inevitable, with the Blues Ladies on a 2-1 lead and aggregate scores locked at 3-3.
Harder’s glancing header in the 84th minute put Blues ahead – and then Bayern piled bodies forward, including goalkeeper Laura Benkarth, as they chased a goal.
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Now on the verge of successive FAWSL titles, the Blues’ hopes for an unmatched quadruple are still alive. They overturned a 2-1 deficit in the first leg of the semifinals with a 4-1 win at Kingsmeadow over Bayern Munich.
Whereas the men have gotten to this point with their lockdown defense, the women’s attacking unit is out of this world. Fran Kirby, Sam Kerr, Pernille Harder and Co. simply cannot be stopped, as they showed against the Bavarians to reach the UCL final.
These teams have both worked for years to get to where they are right now. They have been knocked down and counted out more times than anyone can remember, but they’ve always gotten back up.
UCL Final Dates and Venue
Chelsea now has two teams of destiny to its name and they’re coming for both of the Champions League crowns. The men’s final will take place on May 29 in Istanbul. The Blues will square off against fellow Premier League foes, Manchester City. The women’s final will be held on May 16 in Gothenburg, where Chelsea will take on Barcelona Ladies.
