Chelsea FC won the 2021 UEFA Champions League Title by beating Manchester City Football Club at an all-English Final held at the Estadio do Dragao, Porto on Saturday.
The final scoreline was 1-0 in favour of the West London club.
A first-half goal from the most expensive player in Chelsea’s history, Kai Havertz, was enough to earn the West London side victory, in front of thousands of their witnessing fans at Porto’s Estadio Dragao in Portugal.
Chelsea executed a perfect game plan to win a trophy they last won in 2012. Many thanks to a well-read game by their manager, Thomas Tuchel who took over from club legend Frank Lampard in January of this year.
Thomas Tuchel, who was the former manager of Paris Saint-Germain, who lost to Bayern Munich in the final last season, urged the 16,500 Chelsea fans present, to a famous win.
“They (the players) were determined to win this. We wanted to be a stone in their (Manchester City’s) shoe,” an emotional Tuchel told BT Sport after the game.
He further said: “We encouraged everybody to step up and step out, to be braver and create dangerous counterattacks.”
Kai Havertz kept his calm to latch onto a wonderful through ball from Mason Mount to round the goalkeeper and pass into an open net moments before half-time.
Speaking after the game, Havertz said: “It’s an incredible feeling. We deserve this.”
Seven minutes of injury time were played, giving City fans a nail-biting final few moments – with Mahrez nearly equalising for the Manchester team.
Change of Venue
The all-English final was due to be played in Istanbul, Turkey, but after Turkey was placed on the travel red list, UEFA then moved the game to the Estadio do Dragao in Porto, Portugal.
The change in venue means fans will not have to submit a COVID test or quarantine upon their arrival back in the UK.
12,000 ticket holders from Chelsea and Manchester City headed to Porto over the weekend and many more had travelled in the hope of getting a ticket, representing the biggest mass departure from the UK since before the pandemic.
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Making History
American Pulisic made history. When he was subbed on for Werner in the second half, he became the first American male to play in a Champions League final and became the first American on a Champions League winner as well.
Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy made history as well, becoming the first African goalkeeper to play in a Champions League final.
Mendy’s clean sheet is his ninth in 12 Champions League matches this season, the most ever in a single campaign.
The 22-year-old Mount, who came through the academy at the club, struggled to contain his emotions after the final whistle.
“To go all the way in the Champions League. We played some tough teams. We are in a final and we won it,” he told BT Sport. “It’s such a special occasion. At this moment in time, we’re the best team in the world. You can’t take that away from us.”
Chelsea celebrated with fans inside the stadium, groups of supporters gathered back in London to watch their side win European football’s biggest competition for a second time.
Congratulations to Chelsea FC, their fans, and of course, the man of the match, Ngolo Kante.