Manchester scrape through to victory in Moscow

In one of the longest, tensest matches on record, Manchester United just about inched in front of Chelsea to take the Champions League trophy last night in Moscow.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first goal of the game, with Frank Lampard equalizing for Chelsea just before half time.  Neck and neck at 1-1 after 90 minutes, both teams failed to score in extra time, leading to the dreaded penalty shootout.

With the Russian rain beating down on players, and with Chelsea down to 10 men, after Drogba got sent off – in a face-off involving several players that threatened to turn into a fist-fight - the two rival teams sent their best men to take the spot.

Chelsea were leading in the first 4, as Christian Ronaldo’s penalty was saved by goalie Cech.  But when captain John Terry stepped up to take the 5^th and all important penalty, luck was against him and he slipped on the wet grass, the ball hitting the post and dashing Chelsea’s hopes.

Tied again, Ryan Giggs put in another one for Man Utd, leaving Anelka to equalize.  Goalie Van der Sar blocked the goal, winning the match for Manchester.

Tears flowed freely on the Chelsea side, especially for Terry, devastated at his failure, while Man Utd erupted in celebration.

For Man Utd, their victory – now a double victory with their recent Premiership win – is a fitting tribute, on the 50^th anniversary of the Munich air crash, when 8 team players died.