Stamford Bridge, in its day, asked for the time to join the club of stadiums that are the protagonists of the best stories of the Champions League. The last one please? This is a select meeting, the best, and therefore it is complex to enter there. Little by little, the Chelsea field appeared in our houses at the same time: at 8:45 p.m. – one of the last atrocities of UEFA was to change it. That mythical schedule, on a Tuesday or Wednesday in spring, was what Londoners lived for; just like most of the clubs that were and still waiting in line. That group in London that lived dressed in the label of aristocrat had already been ahead of them. Forever. Ronaldinho had already danced in his half moon and the duels against Liverpool were already a classic of the maximum continental competition. On April 14, 2009 another eternal match was played in that ancient but beautiful stadium that, it cannot be denied, is now a classic.
Londoners had taken some prominent Merseyside loot but Champions nights are not scripted. In fact, they improvise like Robin Williams conversing with Matt Damon in ‘El Indomable Will Hunting‘: one moment he talks to you about flatulence and the next minute about Michelangelo. Therein lies its beauty. The 1-3 of the first leg, with Branislav Ivanovic unleashed, left Anfield hopeless. That is precisely what kills you: the damn hope. The Reds recovered it in the Chelsea Coliseum, with two goals in half an hour. Yet there were Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. One prepared the missiles; the other was simply a tornado. The Ivory Coast shortened the gap, with the invaluable help of Pepe Reina, before Alex returned his calm with one of his shoes. Everything returned to its normal course. Even Lampard, with 15 minutes to go, put the hosts ahead in the match. It’s over.
Still, nights are sometimes not what they seem. In fifteen minutes you go from «Get out of quiet», prostrate at a bar counter, to be in a conga with his shirt completely unbuttoned. Soccer does not need anything to cheer up. In two minutes the visitors had turned it around and were one goal away from qualifying for the semifinals. Stamford Bridge trembled until Lampard, again, restored serenity. If this tournament ever had it. The Chelsea Coliseum was to receive Barcelona weeks later, but that gives to write a couple of books. We were already preparing for another classic of the most beautiful club competition in the world. Never steal it from us.
Header image: Imago
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