Champion's League Final

[EagleFan]

Anyone else planning on watching later today?

It has worked out perfectly for me as I am working overnight to get some things done with our India office and now I'll be able to watch the game live in the afternoon.

I've got my Man U jersey and hat on, ready to go!!!


(Yeah, I know there are many more hard core fans out there which make me look like a serious poser)

[Big Fo]

I'm going to have to record it and watch it after work which sucks, once 2:45 rolls around that's what my mind will be on.

The final should be close but might not be the prettiest game to watch, hopefully Ferguson doesn't feel the need to play 4-5-1. I want Rooney and Tevez both starting up front.

C'MON UNITED

[-apoc-]

I will probably watch but I wont be happy either way unless maybe A. Cole and Ronaldo have a headbutting contest and knock each other unconcious. That might be worth me watching :)

[cartman]

Just a reminder:

NO SPOILERS PLEASE

:D

[bulletsponge]

ill be done with work by lunch, so ill watch it. beats NBA or MLB

[Neon_Chaos]

I'm watching, but it's at 2:00 AM.

THANK GOD I'M ON FLEXI TIME. I'll probably go to work sometime tomorrow afternoon.

First time every that two EPL teams face each other in the champions league final, right?

[Icy]

I'll probably watch it. I don't specially like two teams from the same country in the finals, it kinda makes it lose the European flavor, but I must admit both teams are really fun to watch.

[tyketime]

I decided not to press my luck by wearing my Giggs jersey into the office today. So instead, I've donned the ManU scarf. The first comment in the elevator was "That's right, the game is today". But it then quickly degenerated to "What the hell is that", "Is that proper business attire", and "I didn't know you were Jewish".

oh vey!

I'm leaving work early today to watch the game. But... my son has a doctor's appointment at 4.:eek: So I can only watch the 1st Half live, and then come back to watch the 2nd Half on Tivo.

I wonder whether local sports bars will be crowded today or not...

[cartman]

Is anyone aware of any sites that will stream the game live? PM me if the response is not forum appropriate.

[MrBug708]

I'm watching, but it's at 2:00 AM.

THANK GOD I'M ON FLEXI TIME. I'll probably go to work sometime tomorrow afternoon.

First time every that two EPL teams face each other in the champions league final, right?

Not in my FM world :)

[PLD3009]

I will be watching

don't really care who loses

it will be a remainder too me most probably why I don't watch Football (Soccer) anymore

too much cheating, diving, trying to get your fellow pro sent off.....need I go on

[ColtCrazy]

I picked a perfect time to get strep and stay home from work.

[Neon_Chaos]

The pre-match that ESPN Asia is doing is pumping me up for this!

[DaddyTorgo]

i should get out of work and go watch the game *sighs*

[Celeval]

Anyone know about streaming audio for the match? I was listening to pregame on BBC Radio, but they cut off right before it started. :(

[EagleFan]

Ouch, that looked painful.

Not sure about the refs decision on the cardings though.

[EagleFan]

dola: would have spoilker tagged that but I figured I didn't really spoil anything with that post. ;)

[EagleFan]

NICE!!!

Viva Ronaldo

[EagleFan]

It looks like it's picking up now. Nice saves on both ends.

[law90026]

wow what a miss by Tevez

and a scrappy equaliser from Lampard!

[EagleFan]

ouch, bad time for that goal

[EagleFan]

To borrow AI's boxing analogy... a lot of jabs during that first half. Both teams seemed to be feeling each other out. A couple key plays kept Chelsea alive in this one though as gthe Tevez miss followed by the Chelsea goal which seemed to be influenced by the bad surface. They go the other way and 2-0 would look very good.

On the good side, this should lead to a great second half to watch.

[EagleFan]

lol you guys are a little ahead of the 360 feed... i read about the lampard equalizer and was like, no, he blasted the free kick over, unless i missed something

Sorry, looks like we'll need two spoiler types, one for those watching later and ones for those watching on a slight delay... ;)

[cartman]

I just found an online feed. Question:


Has Chelsea been such whiny biatches the whole match?

[EagleFan]

yes

[cartman]

The one time they don't whine, they should have gotten a call.

[cartman]

Both teams unlucky not to score in the 1st extra time

[VPI97]

Bye Bye Drogba

[Oilers9911]

Picking a winner in this game is like choosing between being beheaded or being hanged. Neither option is at all appealing.

[cartman]

Wow, I thought there would be more than 2 extra minutes

[cartman]

Time for penalties

[cartman]

WTF Ronaldo???

[VPI97]

Ronaldo
choked

[cartman]

Van der Sar guessed right the last two kicks, but wasn't able to stop either

[cartman]

Here we go....

[VPI97]

OMFG I cannot believe that just happened. I can't stand Chelsea, but Terry's the only redeeming thing about that roster.

[cartman]

Terry missed! 4-4 after 5 kicks

[JetsIn06]

WOW

[VPI97]

YES! (Not a ManU fan, but I hate Chelsea)

[MJ4H]

I called Anelka's miss because he looked scared out of his mindwalking up

[cartman]

Man U wins!!!

[Axxon]

Just read this on ESPN commentary of the match.

Sir Alex Ferguson has just revealed that is the first penalty shoot out he has won as a manager! Amazing!

[Cringer]

Most annoying thread ever. Spoiler tags for a live event is stupid, especially for comments that don't give anything away. Hell, I read them and I barely know what happened.

I can't believe guys actually tagged "WOW" and "Here we go."

[VPI97]

Most annoying thread ever. Spoiler tags for a live event is stupid, especially for comments that don't give anything away. Hell, I read them and I barely know what happened.

I can't believe guys actually tagged "WOW" and "Here we go."

Fixed

[cartman]

Most annoying thread ever. Spoiler tags for a live event is stupid, especially for comments that don't give anything away. Hell, I read them and I barely know what happened.

I can't believe guys actually tagged "WOW" and "Here we go."

Well, a lot of folks weren't able to get away from work and Tivo'd the match. Since there wasn't a "spoilers inside" in the title, it was just safer to make use of the spoilers tag.

I hope that those who did Tivo it remembered to add extra time to the recording :D

[Cringer]

Fixed

I will take it from you, you had the funniest post with the spoiler in the spoiler.

[ColtCrazy]

I feel bad for Terry. Not much he could have done on that slick ground. I like players from both teams, though it's nice to see Giggsy get the win on his record breaking appearance. Always liked him.

[MrBug708]

Most annoying thread ever. Spoiler tags for a live event is stupid, especially for comments that don't give anything away. Hell, I read them and I barely know what happened.

I can't believe guys actually tagged "WOW" and "Here we go."

Agreed. What sort of information would someone find here that hasn't watched the game?!?

[rowech]

It's gotta suck for Terry but Chelsea hit the woodwork two other times through the course of the game and then that one. I really thought they were the better team today but alas, PK's rear their ugly heads again.

I don't understand why they don't play 7 v 7 corner kicks or something like that. It sure beats the hell out of PK's...I know its part of the game, I know the players understand it, etc. Just sucks.

[rowech]

Honest question - do Europeans (or South Americans, or anywhere for that matter) complain about penalty kicks ever? It seems like a very American thing. On Sportscenter the anchor (don't remember his name, he's one of the obnoxious ones) sort of grilled Tommy Smyth that there has to be a better way to decide the winner.

I love 'em.

I think they're probably more used to them and are more okay with them. I have to think the majority aren't fans though.

[SirFozzie]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44678000/jpg/_44678638_terry203getty.jpg

John Terry might as well off himself now.. we all know his eventual obit will start with "John Terry, whose missed PK cost Chelsea the 2007-08 Champions League Title..."

[Blade6119]

I love penalty kicks, just like i love the shootout. Its not the first resort, and rightfully so, but from a viewers standpoint its the ultimate entertainment. I could not imagine a better way to end a close game.

[EagleFan]

I love penalty kicks, just like i love the shootout. Its not the first resort, and rightfully so, but from a viewers standpoint its the ultimate entertainment. I could not imagine a better way to end a close game.

The problem with PK's is that the game then becomes all about who doesn't choke instead of who wins the game, with the success rate of the kicks being so high. Saves are generally all about guessing correctly instead of being skill based.

You end up having a scape goat instead of a hero. That's not really the best way to remember a game. Now Terry gets to forever relive this moment in his mind where he was center stage with the win all his for the taking and he slips.

At least in hockey the shot is much harder to make and takes skill into account on both sides so even in a shootout you end up remembering the goal and not the miss (see Forsberg).

[Neon_Chaos]

Great match. It was overly physical, and I loved every minute of it.

The Drogba red card was the only blemish... stupid chin slap from the Chelsea striker.

The penalty shootout was amazing. I thought that Ronaldo missing the penalty would surely lose it for Man U, then the Terry miscue and the Anelka miss made for great drama.

I think this is the first penalty shootout that Sir Alex has ever won, IIRC.

[BishopMVP]

Wow, ... I had money on Man U, but as soon as it went to PK's I told the kid I was betting against Ronaldo would choke (I did also think Anderson would choke too, but he drove it home dead center).

Thank god Terry slipped, because Van Der Saar was weak. The first what, 7 shots by Chelsea were to the same spot? (And, well not ironically, but the first shot left in the sequence was the one saved.)

Overall, as weird as it is playing a game that ends at 1am local time, the result was just. Two dead even teams.

[Critch]

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/8796/terryuo1ft4.jpg

[MIJB#19]

I loved penalty kicks, but only if my team isn't involved in them.

I love how this series went down, by the way: Cristiano Ronaldo missed and Edwin van der Sar still won. Win-win in my book. :D

[MIJB#19]

I think this is the first penalty shootout that Sir Alex has ever won, IIRC.Heh, it's not even the first this season. :D

[MIJB#19]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44678000/jpg/_44678638_terry203getty.jpg

John Terry might as well off himself now.. we all know his eventual obit will start with "John Terry, whose missed PK cost Chelsea the 2007-08 Champions League Title..."I highly doubt that. There are far too many soccer stars who once missed in a losing penalty kicks shootout and are not remembered for that. And Terry's wasn't even a real miss, it was a freak bad luck moment, he didn't choke like Ronaldo and Anelka did.

[flere-imsaho]

Good final - fun to watch, in my opinion. Man U should have been 3-1 up at half, but then Chelsea should have made it 3-3 by full time.

I thought Tevez looked like crap, but maybe he was doing a lot more off the ball that I wasn't seeing. I was therefore surprised that Ferguson took Rooney off instead of Tevez, especially as the game seemed likely for penalties from about minute 80 onwards.

Edit: Oh, and thank god for Tivo.

[cartman]

I highly doubt that. There are far too many soccer stars who once missed in a losing penalty kicks shootout and are not remembered for that.

You mean like Baggio?

:D

[Chief Rum]

To this day, I still remember that Web site that popped up after Becks missed his PK against Portugal at Euro 2004. You're Beckham on the screen, trying to kick the PK. The idea was that you could direct the kick, but in reality every kick went sky high over the goal. Pretty damn funny.

[MIJB#19]

You mean like Baggio?

:DTouche, Roberto Baggio was also the first one that popped up in my memory. :D But after Marco van Basten came up, we quickly stopped discussing it. We would have ended up mentioning the entire lineup of Oranje's 1998 world cup squad. :o

[Neon_Chaos]

Heh, it's not even the first this season. :D

Well, he says it's the first, apart for the annual Charity Shield. :)

hxxp://www.caughtoffside.com/tag/sir-alex-ferguson

Ferguson said: “We had a cause which was very important. People with causes are difficult to battle against and I think fate was playing its part. I feel very, very proud.”


He added: “We’re delighted. It’s my first victory in a penalty shootout apart from the Charity Shield. I’ve lost three with Aberdeen and three with United so this is seventh time lucky."


“The slip by (John) Terry gave us an opening and I thought we would win it then."


“We were fantastic in the first half but the goal gave them an impetus and they were the better team in the second half. But in extra-time I think we were the better team. It was tight and there were some fantastic moments.”

[Katon]

You mean like Baggio?

:D

Actually, the obvious parallel - central defender, team captain, almost missed the game due to injury, one of the main reasons the other team didn't win it before penalties - is Franco Baresi. Who is remembered for a bit more than just his '94 miss, especially in Italy. Hopefully Terry's career will follow the same path (especially if it means Chelsea being as successful as Baresi's Milan teams were).