“Written in the stars” – Chelsea’s Champions League fairytale

Sometimes in life, events seem to be shaped towards a destiny. It counters all reason, defies all logic, cannot be put down to any real object. Chelsea’s Champions League triumph was a sporting exemplum of such occasions.

The blues’ road to Munich followed the script of a fairy story, and there was always a feeling that this particular story could not go unfulfilled, that this would finally be Chelsea’s year. As Gary Neville said in his commentary during the second-leg of the semi-final against Barcelona, it was “written in the stars.”

It all started against Valencia in the final game of the group stages. Chelsea had to beat the Spanish side to even reach the knockouts and did so in emphatic fashion, sweeping them aside 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Next came the Napoli test, a side who had effectively dumped Premier League Champions Manchester City out of the tournament in the groups. It looked by all means as though Chelsea too would fall to the Italians, but they had other ideas.

Trailing 3-1 after the away leg, Chelsea needed another big home win to go through. In this short space of time, there had been a major shift in power at the Bridge, however. Villas-Boas was out and caretaker manager, former club hero, Roberto Di Matteo, was in.

Where Villas-Boas had seen his players akin to numbers on a tactics board, Di Matteo man-managed. He spoke with his players, inspired them, and spurred them on to the changing point in their season. A stunning block from Ashley Cole kept them in the tie before the blues powered to a 4-1 victory, Ivanovic’s extra-time header sending them through where they had been given very little hope.

The Di Matteo factor continued as Manchester United’s conquerors Benfica were overcome both home and away, though not without late drama. In the dying minutes, with the tie still firmly in the balance, Raul Meireles silenced the boos of his former rival fans with a thumping strike that carried his side all the way to Barcelona.

When it was confirmed that Chelsea would indeed face Barca in the semi-finals, they were not even given a prayer. Jokes were flying all over Twitter, ridiculous score lines were mooted. No one could see the struggling Blues getting past perhaps the best club side the world has ever seen.

What happened was more akin to warefare than football. Messi and co. lay siege upon the Chelsea goal. They had almost 80% of the ball, penned the blues inside their own third. Chelsea were stuck in their bunkers, enduring fire as heavy as you will ever see in a Champions League semi-final, but they escaped unharmed, and moreover, they escaped as victors.

Whilst Barcelona failed to break down the Chelsea barracks, Didier Drogba only needed one chance to give his side the lead in the tie, finishing a Ramires cross on the stroke of half-time to send the blues to the formidable Nou Camp still with a shot, a sniff of a Champions League final.

From here on in, you could not write a better script. Barcelona took the lead on the half-hour and Chelsea lost their captain, their inspiration, John Terry, to a stupid red card minutes later. Iniesta doubled the hosts’ lead and it looked over. Down to ten men, behind in the tie inside the Catalan fortress, it could even have got embarrassing.

Out of nowhere however, an exquisite chip from Ramires made it 2-1 before Barca returned to their barrage on the Chelsea defence.

The script continued to unfold as the world’s best player, Lionel Messi, stepped up and missed a penalty which on any other day you would have been certain he would score, before Chelsea’s fallen hero capped off the night in the most incredible fashion.

Fernando Torres, much maligned by all but Chelsea fans since his arrival at the club, found himself through on goal in the final minutes to secure his side’s place in the final. It was his £50m redemption as he rounded Victor Valdes with supreme coolness and slotted home, before being squashed by joyous Chelsea bodies.

It was the most unbelievable of results. Unfathomable before the tie kicked off, but it was not over yet. Chelsea must go to Munich to face and defeat Bayern at their home ground if they were to claim the ultimate prize, Abramovich’s dream.

Chelsea were without Terry, Ivanovic, Ramires and Meireles; all past heroes of the campaign, through suspension, and despite UEFA’s claims, it still felt like an away game. Bayern were well on top for the majority and Chelsea were often limited to counter attacking opportunities.

When Thomas Müller headed in after 83 minutes all logic again suggested the Chelsea dream was dead, but once again, logic went out of the window.

Didier Drogba, in what could be his last ever game of a glittering career at the club, equalised with a thumping header and sent the tie into extra time before the blues once again found themselves on the wrong end of a penalty call.

Drogba clumsily tripped Ribery and Chelsea’s ex-flying winger Arjen Robben stepped up. Cech stood tall, Cech saved, Chelsea survived. Again.

It went all the way to penalties. Penalties against the Germans no less. Penalties that could not help but bring back memories of the heartbreak in Moscow in 2008.

Cech was again heroic, but Drogba was again the hero. He netted the winning penalty and penned the final words of a true footballing fairytale lasting not just one game, but an entire campaign.

The final did not have the drama of Instanbul, but this was a story in a different sense. A story almost a decade in the making. This was the crowning moment of some Chelsea heroes; Drogba, Lampard, Cech, Cole, even Terry. There was never a more unlikely season that this old-guard would go on and win the biggest prize in European football, the one they all wanted most, and that makes their victory all the sweeter.