UCL 2008

[devilsadvocate]

All over Man U have made it to the final guaranteeing and English club will bring back the trophy.

Just a shame me and DA have to travel all the way to Moscow to watch the final. Man U v Pool or Chelski in the UCL at Wembley would have been something else

Anyway, I've packed me furlined muffs DA, just waiting for the call mate

Well mate, the beurocrats in Downing Street have at least 1 allie in their dislike of Russia at the minute.

I have had to forgo the frigging tickets due to Russian beauracracy and ******* about (mind the French!).

As you probably know, you need an invite to Russia and all details of where you're staying, what you're doing etc. Well, I didn't get my invite until 1:30 pm on Thursday 2 weeks ago (9 working days after it was requested and after about 25 follow up calls), just 3 days before I was leaving for my 10 week trip around Europe. The Russian consulate is only open from 8:30 - 11:45am and to them a 'same day visa' means you give it to them one day and get it back the next.

Anyhoo, long story short, I had the choice of risking mising the start of my holiday and having to fork out 1000 quid plus 170 quid each for the Russian Visa (******* crooks!!!) for the bag for life and I to catch up to the ANZAC Day tour before the dawn service or missing the UCL final. 1,300 quid broke the bank for me now I'm unemployed, so ANZAC Day it was.

To make things worse, I had booked flights to return from our Euro tour to meet up with the flights to Russia which cost 500 quid and are non refundable, non cancellable and non transferrable.Once again - ******* RUSKIES!!!

So, some 'lucky' wife of an exec of the Ford Motor Co will be going on our behalf and I will receive a couple of tickets to a group stage game next season as a 'chin up' exercise.

This is one very unhappy football fan.

Great goal by Scholes. I hope that deadbeat Riise was watching. That's how you play football you muppet!

[johntheclaret]

Geez mate that's a kick in the teeth.

could no one else collect the visa for oyu and have it waiting for when you got back from the continent.

I know that you don't have to go in person to the Chinese consulate. Just need a passport and a letter of invite, oh and £60.

Sh1t, I bet you are gutted. Missing a UCL final between two English sides in moscow all on a freebie. Nearly as bad as missing the Clarets play Colchester at Turf Moor

[johntheclaret]

How come you're unemployed mate ?

[Dogwatcher]

Gee DA, that sucks balls mate!

I was only talking about your trip with my bro-in-law on the weekend. Sadly he predicted you'd have troubles.
Seems typical of the Russian tourism experience.

[JK]

Sorry to hear that DA

[Dirko]

F****** Russians...

Don't worry DA, just think they all look like Victor, and are as ugly as F***

It'd be shattering not to see your "desired man" Ronaldo play in a Cup final....

By the way did you make it to the dawn service ? Would've been a awesome experience...

[devilsadvocate]

Geez mate that's a kick in the teeth.

could no one else collect the visa for oyu and have it waiting for when you got back from the continent.

I know that you don't have to go in person to the Chinese consulate. Just need a passport and a letter of invite, oh and £60.

Sh1t, I bet you are gutted. Missing a UCL final between two English sides in moscow all on a freebie. Nearly as bad as missing the Clarets play Colchester at Turf Moor

The problem is, I'm in Europe for 10 weeks (left a week and a half ago), so needed my Visa back on the Friday night, as I flew out on the Saturday. Being 5th generation Aussie, I only have an Aussie passport, so couldn't leave it with them. I've finally found a negative of being an Aussie - As I am a resident of the UK at the moment, I can only apply for a Russian Visa in Aus or the UK.

And, on sending someone else to the consulate, I could have done that on Friday, but on the Thursday afternoon I spoke to about 15 different people in Russia, London and also visa agents, none of whom could guarantee that if someone went with my passport on the Friday morning that it would be back with me by Friday night. If I didn't have it back, I would have missed my trip to Turkey and potentially the ANZAC Day Dawn Service.

Another gutting fact is that the competition organisers required nomination of who I would be taking and now that has been done (I nominated the bag for life as she got very keen for the final all of a sudden and actually hasn't missed watching a game since - bizarre!!), I can't change the nomination for the second ticket.

It's purely down the the useless Russians taking 9 frigging days to get me the letter of invite. If it had come 1 dy earlier, I would have been fine.

Anyhoo, I got to the ANZAC Day Dawn Service which was the no 1 thing on my list of things to do on my travels and it didn't disappoint.

Oh, and I'm unemployed because I quite my contract to come travelling. Hopefully it's only temporary. I should be able to find something when I return the the UK in July.

[devilsadvocate]

Gee DA, that sucks balls mate!

I was only talking about your trip with my bro-in-law on the weekend. Sadly he predicted you'd have troubles.
Seems typical of the Russian tourism experience.

Any other European country and it would have been fine.

Mate, I wasn't able to get you a Slough Town FC strip (it's a club like any local SA footy side whereby they have 1 or 2 sets of strips for the players and that's it.), but I've taken a few snaps of Slough and surrounds, including the office building, so pm me your email address and I'll send them through.

[johntheclaret]

UCL latest

Chelski 1 - 1 Liverpool

Liverpool respond by going 1 - 0 down and have taken complete control of this game. Torres with the equaliser and the only way tyou can see Chelski progressing is thtrough a break away goal. (Something they are very good at doing)

Incidentally, Liverpool have not lost a UCL semi final for 33 years.

also incidentally, Abromavich is no longer the richest man in russia. He is now down to 4th spot with only $28bn. (poor sod )

[johntheclaret]

75 minutes gone. Chelski have come back into it.

Great open flowing game of football. Completely different to last nights.

[johntheclaret]

Full time

Chelski 1 - 1 Liverpool (2 -2 Agg)

Now going into extra time 15 mins each way. If it is still deadlocked, then penalties it is.
Anelka just come on for the 1st preiod ET kick off. I think this is probably a tactical move that Grant had decided on sometime ago. Keep Anelka in reserve, just in case of ET then bring on Anelk with fresh legs and a proven penalty taker.

[johntheclaret]

14 mins gone 1st period

Chelski now 3 - 1 up. !st from a penalty after Chelski had a goal disallowed for off side. No doubt about the offside imo (you can't have 3 players stood around the keeper and not say they are not interferring with play), but the ref clearly didn't agree with his linesman and within 2 mins took the 1st opportunity he had to give Chelski a penalty.

Drogba scored the 2nd and that is just about cheerio Pool.

2nd period ET just under way.

[johntheclaret]

12 mins 2nd period Liverpool pull one back through Babel.

Should be 3 - 3 on the night after Kuyt denied a clear penalty after being tripped by Drogba. The ref put his whislte to his mouth but inexplicably, decided not to blow it.

2 mins left. A goal to Pool will see them through but based on this arsehole of a ref, I can't see if happening.

[johntheclaret]

Final score

Chelski 3 - 2 Liverpool

Chelski go through 4 - 3 on aggregate. Think the ref had as much to do in deciding the outcome of this game as the players did.

So United v Chelski in the final, and with half the population of the planet, they will be left with the impression the the EPL is full or rather half full, if you get my meaning, of cheats.

[mighty_tiger_79]

quite an entertaining match, especially from the 2nd half onwards.

chelski looked in control early and got the goal, and with liverpool needing goals they did more attacking and eventually got the equaliser

[mighty_tiger_79]

i did when Abramovich fell to his knees when the final whistle blew.

hope he realises that they have to beat Man Utd first to get the trophy.

[devilsadvocate]

Think the ref had as much to do in deciding the outcome of this game as the players did.

Exactly. How the **** was Drogba's challenge on Hyypia NOT a penalty if Hyypia's challenge on Ballack was?!!!!!!

FFS either both are or both aren't.

[johntheclaret]

i did when Abramovich fell to his knees when the final whistle blew.

hope he realises that they have to beat Man Utd first to get the trophy.

the Russian mafia will take care of arrangements. I bet the Chelski fans find it easier to get a visa than United or DA

[johntheclaret]

Chelsea will face Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League final after a 3-2 extra-time victory over Liverpool in a thriller at Stamford Bridge.
A brace from Didier Drogba and a penalty from Frank Lamprad ensured that strikes from Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel proved to be nothing but consolations for the Reds.
Chelsea looked bright from the off and tested Pepe Reina with long-range efforts throughout the first-half.
Liverpool on the other hand appeared to lack ideas and found it difficult to bring talismanic front man Torres into the game.
The hosts looked the most likely to find a breakthrough, and duly obliged on 33 minutes when Drogba rifled home. Salomon Kalou broke clear on the right, although he appeared to be offside, and when his curling effort could only be parried by Reina, Drogba was on hand to rifle home the rebound from a tight angle.
After dominating large periods of the first-half, Chelsea allowed Liverpool back into the game during the second period and were made to pay when Fernando Torres levelled things up on 69 minutes. Yossi Benayoun was able to break through a couple of challenges as he snaked in field and laid a perfectly weighted ball into the path of the Spanish striker to stroke calmly into the corner.
Neither side could produce a second during normal time, despite numerous opportunities at both ends.
It took just five minutes of extra-time for the game to spring back to life. Michael Essien thought he had restored Chelsea's lead after taking advantage of some shaky Liverpool defending to blast home. However, he was denied by a linesman's flag.
Four minutes later though the Blues had the lead when Lampard coolly dispatched a penalty after Michael Ballack had been felled by Sami Hyypia.
After appearing to be sailing safely into the final, they were made to sweat when Babel rocketed a 30-yard effort past Cech, but Avram Grant's men eventually managed to hang on.

Hampered
The slippery conditions hampered both sides but it was Chelsea who mastered them quicker.
Liverpool struggled to keep pace with the home side and their worries increased when Martin Skrtel was forced off with a knee injury in the 21st minute and was replaced by Sami Hyypia.
Reina was forced to punch clear a long-range effort from Ballack but the goal Chelsea had threatened for most of the half arrived in style in the 33rd minute. The architect, as so often this season, was England midfielder Lampard. He cleverly split the Liverpool defence to give Kalou the chance to run on and fire a shot that Reina could only palm into the path of the onrushing Drogba.

Fizzed
The Ivorian does not miss such gifts and he sent a low drive fizzing into the net at the near post to give Liverpool a 2-1 aggregate lead.
The Chelsea striker, clearly hurt by Benitez's criticism of his 'diving', then ran the length of the half to celebrate his goal in front of the Liverpool manager.
Chelsea's domination almost brought them a second four minutes before the interval but Ballack's measured free-kick veered just the wrong side of an upright.
Dirk Kuyt almost hauled Liverpool back into the tie three minutes after the restart but his shot met the outstretched leg of Cech before Ashley Cole cleared.
After Lampard's 53rd-minute volley was well held by Reina, Liverpool finally broke their goalscoring hoodoo when Benayoun carved out a chance for Torres.

Exposed
The Spaniard collected the ball in his stride just inside the penalty area before sliding it beyond the exposed Cech to make it 2-2 on aggregate - the 64th-minute effort was Chelsea's first at Stamford Bridge in nine games under Benitez.
Liverpool were now unrecognisable from the insipid team of the first-half. They were pulling Chelsea apart in midfield and the home side were looking decidedly nervy for the first time in the game.
Both sides sought a winner, but the 90 minutes ended all-square and the contest went into extra-time.
Liverpool almost snatched the lead within minutes of the restart but Hyypia's header fell wide of the post with Cech beaten.
Chelsea then thought they had done enough when Essien sent a 20-yard effort into the net, but it was rightly disallowed for offside.

Composure
However, in the 98th minute, Ballack was brought down by Hyypia inside the box and referee Roberto Rosetti pointed to the spot. Lampard kept his composure to send Reina the wrong way and was in tears as he celebrated with his team-mates.
Worse was to come for Liverpool when substitute Nicolas Anelka got free on the right and pulled the ball back for Drogba to fire under Reina.
An error from Cech gifted Babel a late goal but Chelsea held on to reach their first UEFA Champions League final.

[devilsadvocate]

the Russian mafia will take care of arrangements. I bet the Chelski fans find it easier to get a visa than United or DA

I hope that if that happens, they re-erect the iron curtain overnight on the 21st, so London is rid of all the filth and scum that currently bring the place down!!!