Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea: Russian roulette fires United to Euro glory

MAN UTD 1
Ronaldo (26)
CHELSEA 1
Lampard (45)

After Extra Time
Man Utd win 6-5 on penalties

MANCHESTER United became kings of Europe for the third time on a night of high drama and emotion in Moscow.

Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was the hero with a penalty save to deny Nicolas Anelka after Chelsea captain John Terry had missed the chance to win the Blues the trophy by firing his own spot-kick against the post.

The dramatic shoot-out looked to be going Chelsea's way after Petr Cech saved Cristiano Ronaldo's effort but Terry's miss opened the door for Sir Alex Ferguson to clinch his second Champions League crown.

It is 40 years since United first won the trophy with a team rebuilt by Sir Matt Busby from the survivors of the 1958 Munich air disaster. It was fitting that United became the first English club to win the trophy ten years later and even more apt that, half a century on, Ferguson's men had again taken on Europe's finest and beaten them all.

Their achievement was made even more poignant by Munich survivors Harry Gregg, Albert Scanlon, Kenny Morgans, Bill Foulkes and Sir Bobby Charlton, now a club director, who watched the drama unfold from the stands.

Modern-day football has its own heroes, though, and the likes of Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and the unstoppable Ronaldo now trip off the tongue in the same way Best and Charlton once did.

Yet, the opening 25 minutes of the first all-English final barely lived up to its pre-match hype. All that changed from the moment Ronaldo headed United in front with his 42nd goal of a memorable season. Paul Scholes, who missed United's last triumph through suspension in 1999, played a delightful interchange of passes with Wes Brown on the right flank. His final return pass put Brown in the clear and the full-back's left-foot cross found the waiting Ronaldo in space at the far post. The Portugal international planted a firm header beyond Cech to put United ahead.

Chelsea's muted response almost brought them an equaliser in the 33rd minute when Lampard's cross was headed back into the six-yard box by Didier Drogba. United's Rio Ferdinand, under pressure from Michael Ballack, was forced to head the ball towards his own goal and only a superb save from Van der Sar prevented an equaliser.

It required a sensational double save from Cech to deny United their second moments later.

Wayne Rooney delivered a 40-yard crossfield ball into the path of the ever-dangerous Ronaldo and the United goalscorer placed his cross on the head of the diving Tevez only for Cech to deny him.

Chelsea's failure to clear the loose ball gave Michael Carrick the chance to reward their superb approach work but again Cech was equal to the task with another fine save. The Blues began to grow in confidence as the first half approached its climax and in the 45th minute, they took advantage of a massive slice of luck to level the score.

Michael Essien's attempted shot from 25 yards took two deflections on its way towards goal but the most telling was off the back of United captain Ferdinand. It changed the direction of the ball into the path of Lampard, who duly scored.

Chelsea, buoyed by their flourish at the end of the first half, almost took the lead in the 54th minute. Essien managed to get clear of the United defence but his attempted curler from the edge of the penalty area was far too high. It was all Chelsea now but they could not force a second goal.

In the 77th minute, United had the woodwork to thank when Drogba sent a 20-yard shot against Van der Sar's left-hand upright. The Ivorian went close again four minutes from time when he just failed to convert Joe Cole's low cross. Ryan Giggs was introduced in place of Scholes seconds later for the Welshman to make a record 759th appearance for the Red Devils. The game went into extra-time, and within three minutes of the restart, the woodwork came to United's rescue again. This time it was Lampard who sent his shot crashing against the crossbar. Chelsea were almost made to pay dearly eight minutes later when Terry cleared a goalbound effort from Giggs off his own line.

Drogba was then stupidly sent off for slapping Nemanja Vidic as tempers flared on both sides. Ultimately, it was the lottery of penalties which ensured that United clinched the trophy.

Minute by minute: key moments that took the European Cup back to Old Trafford

2 minutes: Michael Essien commits the first foul on Cristiano Ronaldo.

21: Paul Scholes and Claude Makelele clash heads in midfield. The United man needs treatment for a facial wound but is able to return. Both players are booked.

26: MANCHESTER UNITED 1 CHELSEA 0. Ronaldo makes it 42 goals for the season with a free header at the far post from Wes Brown's left-footed cross.

27: Chelsea attempt to respond straight away but Michael Ballack's 20-yard shot flies over.

34: Ballack's pressure forces Rio Ferdinand to head towards his own goal but Edwin van der Sar keeps it out.

35: Ronaldo's cross is met by a diving header from Carlos Tevez that is kept out by Petr Cech. Michael Carrick fires in a shot from the rebound but Cech recovers to produce another good stop.

42: Wayne Rooney's cross finds Tevez but he just fails to connect six yards out.

43: Ferdinand is booked for blocking Frank Lampard on the edge of the box. Ballack fires the free kick over the bar.

45: MANCHESTER UNITED 1 CHELSEA 1. Chelsea enjoy a lucky break as Essien's deflected shot hits Ferdinand on the back and falls perfectly for Lampard.

45: Ricardo Carvalho is booked for a nasty studs-up challenge on Ronaldo as the half draws to a close.

77: Florent Malouda appears to be tripped by Ferdinand on the edge of the six-yard box but the referee gives a goal kick.

78: Didier Drogba fashions a brilliant right-footed shot from 20 yards that has Van der Sar beaten but cannons off the post.

87: United make the first change with Ryan Giggs replacing Scholes to make his 759th appearance for the club, breaking Sir Bobby Charlton's record.

94: Brilliant interplay between Ashley Cole, Ballack and Lampard sees the England midfielder hit the face of the bar with a spin and shot. Joe Cole cannot turn in the rebound.

100: Giggs has a glorious chance to put United back in front but he does not hit the ball cleanly with the goal gaping and John Terry deflects it over.

111: Vidic takes out substitute Nicolas Anelka and is booked but Drogba sends the free kick wide from 25 yards.

116: RED CARD. An ugly melee results in Drogba becoming only the second player, after Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann in 2006, to be sent off in a Champions League final. Drogba sees red for slapping Vidic while Tevez, around whom the original incident centred, and Ballack are booked.

118: Essien is booked for fouling Ronaldo.

Penalties: After the first four penalties are scored, Ronaldo sees his kick saved by Cech. With a kick to win it at 4-4, Terry slips and hits the outside of the post. Into sudden death, Van der Sar is the hero by saving Anelka's kick as United triumph 6-5 on penalties.

HOW THEY RATED

MANCHESTER UNITED

EDWIN VAN DER SAR
Good one-handed reaction save to deny Michael Ballack at close range in the first half. However, his slip allowed Frank Lampard to equalise. Saved the crucial penalty from Nicolas Anelka. 7/10

WES BROWN
Surprise provider for the opening goal with a left-footed cross. Was hardly tested defensively. 7/10

RIO FERDINAND
Unlucky for Chelsea's equaliser but otherwise showed a cool head, although could have given away a penalty late on in normal time when he appeared to catch Florent Malouda. 7/10

NEMANJA VIDIC
Strong in the air and put in his usual solid performance at the back, managing to keep Chelsea striker Didier Drogba quiet for long periods. 8/10

PATRICE EVRA
Got forward whenever the opportunity arose and found himself in some good positions but crossing let him down at vital moments. 7/10

MICHAEL CARRICK
Held well in midfield but could not find a way to unlock the Chelsea defence. 6/10

OWEN HARGREAVES
Showed willingness to get forward from an unfamiliar wide right position and delivered some useful crosses. Looked more comfortable when he moved inside. 7/10

PAUL SCHOLES
Was booked for a first-half challenge on Claude Makelele and only briefly showed his class on the ball. Substituted for Giggs with three minutes to go for a disappointing end to his long-awaited Champions League final. 6/10

CRISTIANO RONALDO
Playing on the left, had the beating of stand-in right-back Michael Essien both on the ground and in the air, as demonstrated by the opening goal. Became less of an influence as the match wore on. 7/10

WAYNE ROONEY
Often dropped off to pick up the ball but a peripheral figure in game. Looked well off the pace. 6/10

CARLOS TEVEZ
Missed a great chance from eight yards in the first half but always a willing runner up front and not afraid to tackle back. 6/10

Substitutes

RYAN GIGGS (for Scholes, 87mins)
Had a left-footed shot cleared by Terry in his only chance. 6/10

NANI (for Rooney, 101mins)
Never given the ball enough to provide the inspiration for a breakthrough. 5/10

ANDERSON (for Brown, 120 mins)
Sent on for penalties.

CHELSEA

PETR CECH
Great double save from Tevez's header and Carrick's follow-up in the first half. Could do little to stop the goal. 6/10

MICHAEL ESSIEN
Out of his depth against Ronaldo in first half, with his poor positioning at fault for the first goal. Improved considerably. 7/10

JOHN TERRY
Superb block from Giggs in extra time, but sadly skipper will be remembered for missing the penalty which would have won it in the shoot-out. 7/10

RICARDO CARVALHO
Commanding in the air. Hardly ruffled throughout. 7/10

ASHLEY COLE
Had an easier night than expected facing Hargreaves and not Ronaldo. Was not able to get behind United defence or offer support to Malouda as much as he would have liked. 7/10

CLAUDE MAKELELE
Got himself unnecessarily booked in the first half after being fouled by Scholes but provided an important role in front of the back four. 7/10

MICHAEL BALLACK
After a quiet first half with United dominating, he found more time on the ball. Became Chelsea's focal point for attacks as game wore on. 8/10

FRANK LAMPARD
Trademark run from deep was rewarded with equaliser on the stroke of half-time. Unlucky when his shot on the turn hit the crossbar in extra time. 7/10

FLORENT MALOUDA
Provided little support for Drogba in the way of crosses. Could have had a penalty in the second half. 5/10

JOE COLE
Was anonymous for long periods as he struggled to get into the game against the impressive Evra. Replaced by Anelka in extra time. 5/10

DIDIER DROGBA
Hit the post with a long-range effort before being stupidly sent off for slapping Vidic in extra time. 5/10

Substitutes

SALOMON KALOU (on for Malouda, 93)
Never really made an impact. 5/10

NICOLAS ANELKA (on for Joe Cole, 99)
Added pace to Chelsea's front line 5/10

JULIANO BELLETTI (on for Makelele, 120)
Sent on for penalties.

AS IT HAPPENED

Carlos Tevez scores
Manchester United 1, Chelsea 0

Michael Ballack scores
Manchester United 1, Chelsea 1

Michael Carrick scores
Manchester United 2, Chelsea 1

Juliano Belletti scores
Manchester United 2, Chelsea 2

Cristiano Ronaldo misses
Manchester United 2, Chelsea 2

Frank Lampard scores
Manchester United 2, Chelsea 3

Owen Hargreaves scores
Manchester United 3, Chelsea 3

Ashley Cole scores
Manchester United 3, Chelsea 4

Nani scores
Manchester United 4, Chelsea 4

John Terry misses
Manchester United 4, Chelsea 4

Anderson scores
Manchester United 5, Chelsea 4

Solomon Kalou scores
Manchester United 5, Chelsea 5

Ryan Giggs scores
Manchester United 6, Chelsea 5

Nicolas Anelka misses
Manchester United 6, Chelsea 5

Van der Sar saves Ronaldo from what would have been 'worst day of my life'

CRISTIANO Ronaldo feared his penalty miss in last night's Champions League final shootout would be the worst moment of his life before goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar came to the rescue.

"I don't know what to say, I thought we would lose when I missed," said Ronaldo, who had his kick saved by Petr Cech in the dramatic shoot-out. "I thought it would be the worst day of my life, but the lads believed, and we won it even despite my miss. I'm very proud of them. The penalties are a lottery. I think we deserved it because we played better in the whole game.

"Now it's the happiest day of my life," added the Portuguese winger, who scored the opening goal in the match with a header, before saying he was going to stay at Manchester United, despite recent reports suggesting that he is keen to move to Spain this summer.

For Van der Sar, the moment he made the decisive penalty save from Nicolas Anelka ended a 13-year wait for the giant Dutchman to get his hands on another Champions League winners' medal.

"The feeling of saving the last penalty is immense," said the veteran goalkeeper, who won the trophy in 1995 with Ajax.

"Winning here by saving the last ball, I don't have any words for it," said the player who solved one of Sir Alex Ferguson's biggest problems at Manchester United when he arrived.

It took manager Ferguson six years to find a worthy successor to Peter Schmeichel, who played his final game for United in the 1999 Champions League final.

In 37-year-old Van der Sar he finally has his man. In Moscow, he pulled off a stunning one-handed save to prevent an own-goal from Rio Ferdinand in the first half before winning the match in the shootout, diving to his right to save the 14th and final penalty from Anelka.

He seemed to know a fraction of second in advance that he was about to save it, as his mouth broke into a smile. "I knew which way he was going," added the keeper, who was named man of the match. "I felt it."

Van der Sar was 24 when he played in his first Champions League final, helping Ajax beat Juventus 1-0 in Vienna. He experienced defeat in a penalty shootout the following year, as Juventus turned the tables on them.

The Dutchman later joined the Italian side, but after a loss of form moved to decidedly unfashionable west London team Fulham before Ferguson recognised his qualities of concentration, dedication and consistency and took him to United in 2005.

"One of the most difficult jobs we had was replacing Schmeichel and three years ago when we did that with Edwin you saw the marked improve in our defending," Ferguson said. "Great credit to him. When it comes to the last penalty it takes experience and patience. You have to wait that fraction."