Chelsea Win Champions League In Dramatic Final
ROME, ITALY- Chelsea have won their first ever UEFA Champions League trophy. It wasn't easy, but it was an entertaining match for Chelsea fans and neutrals alike.
Though Chelsea looked dominant early on, Cacau of Stuttgart opened scoring in the 25th minute with a goal off of a pass from defender Arthur Boka.
Chelsea soon equalized in the 30th minute with a Joe Cole goal off of a Lampard corner. These two early goals set the tone for the rest of the match.
In the 66th minute, Frank Lampard buried a brilliant free kick into the net past Stuttgart keeper Raphael Schäfer to give his side the lead.
Cacau leveled the score again in the 74th minute though, with a goal off of a Mario Gomez pass. The game would go into extra time with the score 2-2.
In the 95th minute, Cacau looked to score another goal, but was taken down in the box by Chelsea fullback Glen Johnson. The result was a red card for Johnson and a penalty kick, which was successfully taken by Stuttgart midfielder Yıldıray Baştürk.
In the 103rd minute, Chelsea got a penalty kick as well after winger Joe Cole was brought down in the box. Lampard equalized with the converted penalty.
In the 112th minute, Chelsea striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored a dramatic goal in which he curled the shot past the Stuttgart keeper and gave his side a 4-3 lead eventually the win.
Chelsea go into the summer with both a Premier League title and European Champions, the first to do so since this feat was accomplished by Manchester United in the 1998-99 season.