Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1-0 on Saturday to win their second-ever Champions League title, in only but the third all English Champions League final showdown in Porto, Portugal, and their joy knew no bounds.
Heading into the game, Thomas Tuchel’s men were tipped as the underdogs, with Pep Guardiola getting better ratings ahead of his German counterpart. Still, Tuchel reigned supreme as he took the game to Pep and outclassed him, for the third time this season, to secure a return of European club football’s biggest prize to Stamford Bridge for the first time since 2012.
Any amount of goals could have made the difference on that historic night, but it was Kai Harvertz’s first-half goal that did all the damage to City.
As the heartbroken City side continues to search for the Champions League trophy which keeps eluding them, it is the club’s highest goal scorer, Sergio Aguero, who played his last game in the sky blue Jersey on Saturday, that attracted the most sympathy, as his hope of bowing out with such a prestigious laurel under his belt never saw the light of day.
For Tuchel, who took over from the sacked Frank Lampard in January, it was a great relief and an immeasurable joy to win it, after he had suffered defeat in last season’s Champions League final to German giants, Bayern Munich will still coaching French side, Paris St-Germain, and got sacked by the club a few months later.
And for the Chelsea players, it’s nothing but a dream come true, and they’ve earned the right to bask in the euphoria for as long as it lasts.
