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Kai’s the limit as Chelsea fans revel in Champions League glory London (AFP) – Chelsea fans piled into the streets surrounding the Stamford Bridge ground of the new kings of European football following their 1-0 defeat of Manchester City in the Champions League final on Saturday in Portugal. Some lit flares as they sang and cheered the club’s triumph earned thanks to Kai Havertz’s first-half goal in Porto. The goal from the club’s most expensive ever signing gave the Russian-owned club their second European crown nine years after the first in 2012. Coronavirus restrictions meant far fewer Chelsea supporters were able to attend Saturday’s clash compared to the night they beat Bayern Munich. Many of those who could not be there congregated in the fashionable west London neighbourhood, near the stadium where the same supporters had gathered for an angry protest against Chelsea’s shortlived membership of the European Super League in April. A light show in the club’s blue spelled out “Champions for the Fans” as fireworks went off in the distance. The fans’ joyous celebrations, standing shoulder to shoulder in the streets, showed a complete disregard for the present social distancing advice in England that groups of no more than 30 can congregate. Some climbed up to balconies of houses raising their arms in triumph — several whipping off their shirts to celebrate half naked on a warm night. Other Chelsea fans watching the game on giant screens at the Boxpark entertainment complex in Croydon, south of London, erupted in cheers at the final whistle. “I’m ecstatic. It’s amazing, this is something I’ve felt before, a long time ago, but to re-live it is mad. I’m really happy, I can’t believe it,” said landscape gardener Aaron Cheneoy, 36. “Why do we think we’ve won it? Because we’re the best team in Europe! I mean, look what’s happened this season, this is the third time we’ve beaten City,” said Bradley Smith, a 25-year-old consultant. In northwest England, many Manchester City fans congregated in the Townley Pub in the city and experienced a wave of emotions as their team fell short of becoming European champions for the first time. They drowned their sorrows but with the consolation that Pep Guardiola’s team ended the season as runaway Premier League champions and retained the League Cup. The City fans’ emotions went from despair when Havertz scored to anger and despair at the early departure of influential midfielder Kevin De Bruyne after a shuddering clash with Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger. At the final whistle, the sky blue-clad fans began chanting defiantly. “Well, I’m not impressed, but I’m not going to slate my team because at the end of the day, we win everything,” one fan said, and couldn’t resist a jibe at their city rivals Manchester United. “Manchester’s still blue, if you don’t like it oo…oo.”

London (AFP) – Chelsea fans piled into the streets surrounding the Stamford Bridge ground of the new kings of European football following their 1-0 defeat of Manchester City in the Champions League final on Saturday in Portugal. Some lit flares as they sang and cheered the club’s triumph earned thanks to Kai Havertz’s first-half goal in Porto. The goal from the club’s most expensive ever signing gave the Russian-owned club their second European crown nine years after the first in 2012. Coronavirus restrictions meant far fewer Chelsea supporters were able to attend Saturday’s clash compared to the night they beat Bayern Munich. Many of those who could not be there congregated in the fashionable west London neighbourhood, near the stadium where the same supporters had gathered for an angry protest against Chelsea’s shortlived membership of the European Super League in April. A light show in the club’s blue spelled out “Champions for the Fans” as fireworks went off in the distance. ...

Guardiola the fall guy as Man City’s Champions League anguish goes on Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – After a decade of trying, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City’s wait to win the Champions League goes on after Chelsea emerged 1-0 victors from an all-English final in Porto. City finished 19 points ahead of Chelsea in romping to this season’s Premier League title, but their old demons in Europe reappeared as Guardiola’s tinkering with a winning team again backfired. The Catalan won the Champions League twice in his first three seasons as a senior coach at Barcelona. But he can now add the disappointment of losing in the final for the first time to exits in four semi-finals and three quarter-finals as boss of Barca, Bayern Munich and City over the past 10 years. City had never even been beyond the last eight in Guardiola’s first four seasons in charge, but he appeared to have learned from his mistakes as a settled side comfortably saw off Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain to reach the final for the first time in the club’s history. However, he dropped a bombshell by omitting captain Fernandinho and Rodrigo from the base of his midfield to make way for Raheem Sterling’s return to the starting line-up. Chelsea seized on the space opened up in the City midfield to enjoy the better of the first half and, but for some characteristic wasteful finishing from Timo Werner, would have been in front long before they scored the only goal. One through ball from Mason Mount sliced the City defence wide open for Kai Havertz to round Ederson and roll the ball into an empty net. “I tried the best selection to win the game,” said Guardiola. “(Ilkay) Gundogan played many years in this position. We tried to have speed on the ball, to find players between the lines on the ball and this was the decision.” Luck was also not on City’s side as Kevin De Bruyne was forced off in tears after a sickening head knock when he collided with Antonio Rudiger early in the second half. Without the Belgian, Guardiola’s attempts to right the wrongs of his team selection were too little, too late. Fernandinho was introduced just after the hour mark, while strikers Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero were thrown on in search of a goal. But the vast majority of City’s success this season has come in a fluid strikerless system and they never looked comfortable as Chelsea’s defence limited them to one shot on target despite losing the experience of Thiago Silva to injury in the first-half. – ‘We will come back’ – Backed by the wealth of Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour, City have become the dominant force in English football, winning five Premier League titles in the past 10 years. But that only makes the pain of three disappointments against English sides in Europe over the past four years all the more acute. After 10 seasons in the Champions League, City remain without the one trophy they most desire. City will lick their wounds, invest and try again. Guardiola extended his contract at the Etihad earlier this season to 2023. “It is the first time we are here, we will learn, we will come back,” Guardiola said. “It was a season with 62 games and we played 61. We are sad, we have to learn from this and we will learn for the future, but the season was exceptional.” Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have both been suggested as a replacement for the departing Aguero and Guardiola hinted at a “shake-up” this summer to keep his squad hungry. Losing their biggest game of a hitherto glorious campaign will help maintain the motivation for more. In five seasons in Manchester, Guardiola has already won eight major trophies. But the one he was brought to the club to win the most remains the missing piece.

Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – After a decade of trying, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City’s wait to win the Champions League goes on after Chelsea emerged 1-0 victors from an all-English final in Porto. City finished 19 points ahead of Chelsea in romping to this season’s Premier League title, but their old demons in Europe reappeared as Guardiola’s tinkering with a winning team again backfired. The Catalan won the Champions League twice in his first three seasons as a senior coach at Barcelona. But he can now add the disappointment of losing in the final for the first time to exits in four semi-finals and three quarter-finals as boss of Barca, Bayern Munich and City over the past 10 years. City had never even been beyond the last eight in Guardiola’s first four seasons in charge, but he appeared to have learned from his mistakes as a settled side comfortably saw off Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain to reach the final for the first time in the club’s history. However, he dropp...

‘I worked 15 years for this’ says Chelsea’s Havertz Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – German forward Kai Havertz said he had “worked 15 years” for the moment when he scored the goal that won the Champions League for Chelsea against Manchester City on Saturday. Havertz’s 42nd minute strike — his first goal for the club in the Champions League — gave Chelsea their second European crown nine years after they beat Bayern Munich to win their first. “I don’t know what to say, I waited a long time. I’ve worked 15 years for this moment, I am overwhelmed,” 21-year-old Havertz told BT Sport. Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta hailed the young forward. “Havertz’s mentality is top, this guy will be a superstar, he ran like crazy, this is why he deserves this. “I came here in 2012 after that Champions League win. I wanted to repeat that Champions League success. It is amazing. My family are here. It is a special, special day.” French midfielder N’Golo Kante, who was voted the man of the match for his tireless performance for Chelsea, said he felt “joy and pride”. “It’s amazing, it’s the result of a lot of efforts and difficulties during the season but in the end it is the work of a whole group,” Kante told French broadcaster RMC Sport. “Today we suffered, we battled until the end and we were rewarded with the victory.” He credited the arrival of Thomas Tuchel to replace the sacked Frank Lampard in January for the European triumph, which came after Chelsea scraped to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League and lost the FA Cup final to Leicester. “It was the arrival of a new coach, a change of tactics and lots of effort,” he said.

Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – German forward Kai Havertz said he had “worked 15 years” for the moment when he scored the goal that won the Champions League for Chelsea against Manchester City on Saturday. Havertz’s 42nd minute strike — his first goal for the club in the Champions League — gave Chelsea their second European crown nine years after they beat Bayern Munich to win their first. “I don’t know what to say, I waited a long time. I’ve worked 15 years for this moment, I am overwhelmed,” 21-year-old Havertz told BT Sport. Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta hailed the young forward. “Havertz’s mentality is top, this guy will be a superstar, he ran like crazy, this is why he deserves this. “I came here in 2012 after that Champions League win. I wanted to repeat that Champions League success. It is amazing. My family are here. It is a special, special day.” French midfielder N’Golo Kante, who was voted the man of the match for his tireless performance for Chelsea, said he felt “joy ...

Tuchel says he sensed Chelsea would win Champions League Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said he had sensed before the Champions League final that his side would win on Saturday. Tuchel guided Paris Saint-Germain to last season’s Champions League final which they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich. PSG sacked the German in December but he was almost immediately hired by Chelsea and led the Russian-owned club to the second Champions League victory in their history thanks to a single goal from Kai Havertz in Porto. “You know I was so grateful to arrive a second time (in the final after doing so with PSG last year) but this felt different. I told people before somehow it was,” Tuchel told BT Sport. He paid tribute to his “unbelievable” players. “It was an incredibly tough fight, what a fight. Today they were determined to win this. We wanted to be the stone in their (City’s) shoe. “I told everyone to step up and to be more brave with the ball. “Kai was strong and delivered again. He has great heart.”

Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said he had sensed before the Champions League final that his side would win on Saturday. Tuchel guided Paris Saint-Germain to last season’s Champions League final which they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich. PSG sacked the German in December but he was almost immediately hired by Chelsea and led the Russian-owned club to the second Champions League victory in their history thanks to a single goal from Kai Havertz in Porto. “You know I was so grateful to arrive a second time (in the final after doing so with PSG last year) but this felt different. I told people before somehow it was,” Tuchel told BT Sport. He paid tribute to his “unbelievable” players. “It was an incredibly tough fight, what a fight. Today they were determined to win this. We wanted to be the stone in their (City’s) shoe. “I told everyone to step up and to be more brave with the ball. “Kai was strong and delivered again. He has great heart.” from World Socce...

Pupil beats the master as Chelsea’s Tuchel gets the better of Guardiola Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – A self-confessed admirer of Pep Guardiola, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel got the better of his mentor as the Blues kept Manchester City waiting for Champions League glory by winning Saturday’s final 1-0. Victory in Porto rounded off a rollercoaster five months for the German, who was sacked by Paris Saint-Germain on Christmas Eve and handed the chance to revive Chelsea’s fortunes less than a month later. Chelsea were languishing ninth in the Premier League table at the time with owner Roman Abramovich seeing little return on his £220 million ($312 million) outlay on new players last summer under Frank Lampard. Kai Havertz was the most expensive purchase of that splurge after his £71 million move from Bayer Leverkusen. Getting the best out of Havertz was one of Tuchel’s major tasks and the 21-year-old came good on the biggest stage of all with the only goal three minutes before half-time. Unlike Guardiola, Tuchel did not have a glittering playing career. A series of knee injuries forced him to retire at 25 and take up a job as a waiter, while he began his coaching career in the youth ranks of Stuttgart. From afar he watched and was inspired as Guardiola won 14 trophies in four years at Barcelona before joining him in Germany where they battled for Bundesliga supremacy in charge of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. During Tuchel’s first meeting with Guardiola the two football obsessives talked long into the night using glasses and salt and pepper shakers to mimic formations. “It’s easier to demonstrate a position or defending a position or building some gaps you can play through, and it’s easier to do this when you have some glasses and salt and pepper on the table,” Tuchel said this week. “I was such a huge admirer of Pep when he was a player and then when he became a coach it was like learning on the job for me. I was an academy coach and then in the Bundesliga with Mainz, but I don’t think I missed a game because there was so much to learn. “There was a lot of tactical talking and discussions and it was so interesting to hear his beliefs, his self-confidence and also the doubts in what he’s doing.” The Catalan’s confidence will be shaken when he comes face-to-face with Tuchel again in the Premier League next season. Tuchel did not win any of the first five clashes between the pair during his time at Mainz and Dortmund against Guardiola’s dominant Bayern side. But he has now won three in the past six weeks as Chelsea completed a treble of victories over the English champions after wins in the FA Cup semi-final and Premier League. – Tactical battle – Guardiola spoke glowingly ahead of the game on how Tuchel has revived Chelsea’s fortunes by changing to a 3-4-3 formation that denied City’s abundance of creative midfielders space between the lines. That allowed Tuchel to arguably win the tactical battle before a ball had even been kicked. Often accused of overly tinkering with his line-ups when the pressure is ramped up in the final stages of the Champions League, Guardiola’s bold call to start without a recognised holding midfielder backfired. Tuchel was dismissed by PSG despite leading the French giants to their own first Champions League final in August. That time he had to suffer the pain of a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich, but his desire not to leave Portugal empty-handed again was in evidence as he prowled the touchline, constantly cajoling his players and whipping up the Chelsea fans into a frenzy. The travelling support from London were among a 14,000 crowd that contributed hugely to the spectacle after almost a full season of European football behind closed doors. Chelsea fans showed they have not forgotten the club’s all-time record goalscorer with cries of “super Frank” in honour of Lampard’s part in getting the Blues into the top four last season to qualify, and through the group stages before his dismissal. But this was Tuchel’s triumph.

Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – A self-confessed admirer of Pep Guardiola, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel got the better of his mentor as the Blues kept Manchester City waiting for Champions League glory by winning Saturday’s final 1-0. Victory in Porto rounded off a rollercoaster five months for the German, who was sacked by Paris Saint-Germain on Christmas Eve and handed the chance to revive Chelsea’s fortunes less than a month later. Chelsea were languishing ninth in the Premier League table at the time with owner Roman Abramovich seeing little return on his £220 million ($312 million) outlay on new players last summer under Frank Lampard. Kai Havertz was the most expensive purchase of that splurge after his £71 million move from Bayer Leverkusen. Getting the best out of Havertz was one of Tuchel’s major tasks and the 21-year-old came good on the biggest stage of all with the only goal three minutes before half-time. Unlike Guardiola, Tuchel did not have a glittering playing career. A...

Chelsea shatter dream of Guardiola’s Man City to win Champions League final Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – Chelsea won the Champions League for the second time as a Kai Havertz goal secured a tense 1-0 victory over Manchester City in Saturday’s final in Porto, shattering Pep Guardiola’s dream of lifting the trophy for the third time, a decade on from his last triumph. Havertz rounded Ederson to score three minutes before half-time at the Estadio do Dragao and the Chelsea players ran to the far end of the pitch to celebrate with the German. Coach Thomas Tuchel, full of energy on the touchline just like his opposite number, punched the air in celebration, and later jumped with joy on the pitch after Chelsea held on for victory in the second half as City lost distraught skipper Kevin De Bruyne to injury. The London club may have finished fourth in the Premier League, a huge 19 points behind the champions City, but this, remarkably, was their third win over Guardiola’s side in six weeks. They shattered City’s hopes of a domestic treble when they triumphed in the FA Cup semi-finals in April and then delayed their title celebrations with victory in Manchester. Now, in a final watched by a limited crowd of just over 14,000 fans who created a raucous atmosphere, they have denied City the first Champions League crown they and Guardiola so crave. – Abramovich’s second European Cup – City have had to wait 13 years since being taken over by Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour just to get to the Champions League final. They are now the seventh consecutive team to lose in their first appearance at this stage. The same misfortune befell Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain last year as well as Tottenham Hotspur when they were beaten by Liverpool in the last all-English final in 2019. Chelsea also lost when they first got to the final, succumbing on penalties against Manchester United in Moscow in 2008. They overcame the final hurdle by beating Bayern Munich, also in a shoot-out, in 2012 and now they have their second European Cup to move level with Juventus, Benfica and Porto as well as another English side, Nottingham Forest. Their transformation into one of Europe’s super clubs has been down to the riches of Roman Abramovich, their Russian oligarch owner who was in attendance at the game in Portugal. Chelsea have been transformed since the appointment as coach in January of Tuchel, but City were still the favourites off the back of their third Premier League title triumph in four seasons. Feeding off the energy of the crowd in a stadium that Portuguese authorities had allowed to be filled to a third of its capacity — all fans required negative Covid-19 tests to gain entry — both teams played with a level of intensity rarely seen in the last year of football in empty grounds. – Havertz’s marquee moment – City pressed high but struggled to trouble Edouard Mendy in the Chelsea goal, while at the other end Timo Werner should have done better than shoot straight at Ederson in the 14th minute. Chelsea then suffered an injury blow as an emotional Thiago Silva was forced off hurt, Andreas Christensen taking the Brazilian’s place in central defence. Yet it was they who opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, Mason Mount’s ball splitting the City defence with John Stones out of position, allowing Havertz — their marquee 71 million-pound ($100m) signing last summer — to go around the lunging Ederson and convert into an empty net. City now needed to break down a Chelsea defence that has been exceptional since Tuchel came in. But they lost De Bruyne just before the hour mark, the brilliant Belgian taken out in a collision with Antonio Ruediger that appeared to leave him concussed. He came off in tears, and Guardiola instead turned to Sergio Aguero for the latter stages, but there was to be no glorious send-off as a City player for the Argentine, even if a Riyad Mahrez shot sailed just over in the sixth minute of injury time. There was also no third European Cup for Guardiola, who remains one adrift of the record for the coaches with most wins in the competition, held jointly by Bob Paisley, Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane.

Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – Chelsea won the Champions League for the second time as a Kai Havertz goal secured a tense 1-0 victory over Manchester City in Saturday’s final in Porto, shattering Pep Guardiola’s dream of lifting the trophy for the third time, a decade on from his last triumph. Havertz rounded Ederson to score three minutes before half-time at the Estadio do Dragao and the Chelsea players ran to the far end of the pitch to celebrate with the German. Coach Thomas Tuchel, full of energy on the touchline just like his opposite number, punched the air in celebration, and later jumped with joy on the pitch after Chelsea held on for victory in the second half as City lost distraught skipper Kevin De Bruyne to injury. The London club may have finished fourth in the Premier League, a huge 19 points behind the champions City, but this, remarkably, was their third win over Guardiola’s side in six weeks. They shattered City’s hopes of a domestic treble when they triumphed in the FA...

Beer showers after Andersson saves Cologne from Bundesliga drop Berlin (AFP) – Swedish striker Sebastian Andersson struck twice in a chaotic first half to help Cologne avoid relegation from the Bundesliga with a 5-1 win over second-tier side Holstein Kiel on Saturday. Andersson, a marquee signing last summer who had been injured for much of the season, stepped up in the second leg of the promotion play-off tie to spare Cologne a third relegation in 10 years. Amid a flurry of four goals in the first 15 minutes, the 1.90-metre Swede scored twice with his head to put Cologne on course and bury Kiel’s hopes of a first ever promotion to the German top flight. “If Andersson had been available more often, then my predecessor would have won more games,” said Cologne coach Friedhelm Funkel, who took over from Markus Gisdol in April with Cologne stuck in the bottom three. “I’m so happy for the club, the fans and the city of Cologne. I stink terribly, I’ll need a change of clothes,” the 67-year-old told broadcaster DAZN after his jubilant players showered him in beer on the pitch. German media estimated that relegation would have cost Cologne more than 25 million euros ($30.5 million) in income from broadcasting rights. They would have been the third iconic German club to go down this year after Werder Bremen and Schalke. “Cologne belong in the top flight, and we gave everything today to make sure we stayed there,” said goalkeeper Timo Horn. Having avoided automatic relegation with just four minutes to spare on the final day, Cologne had slumped to a surprise 1-0 defeat in the first leg on Wednesday. So second-division underdogs Kiel had high hopes of an upset as they took to the field in front of 2,500 raucous fans in the bright evening sunshine. Yet they were left shellshocked after an explosive first half which began with three goals in the first six minutes. Kiel’s narrow first-leg advantage was cancelled out after just three minutes as Cologne captain Jonas Hector headed his side in front from a corner. The hosts hit back straight from the kick-off, with South Korea international Lee Jae-sung heading in the equaliser. Yet Andersson immediately restored Cologne’s lead at the other end, before making it 3-1 with another headed goal on 12 minutes. Kiel’s promotion hopes seemed dead and buried just a few minutes before half-time when their former player Rafael Czichos sent a sweetly struck half-volley sailing into the top corner. Goalkeeper Ioannis Gelios kept the minnows clinging on with several fine saves in the second half, before Ellyes Skhiri slammed in a fifth to seal survival for Cologne six minutes from time.

Berlin (AFP) – Swedish striker Sebastian Andersson struck twice in a chaotic first half to help Cologne avoid relegation from the Bundesliga with a 5-1 win over second-tier side Holstein Kiel on Saturday. Andersson, a marquee signing last summer who had been injured for much of the season, stepped up in the second leg of the promotion play-off tie to spare Cologne a third relegation in 10 years. Amid a flurry of four goals in the first 15 minutes, the 1.90-metre Swede scored twice with his head to put Cologne on course and bury Kiel’s hopes of a first ever promotion to the German top flight. “If Andersson had been available more often, then my predecessor would have won more games,” said Cologne coach Friedhelm Funkel, who took over from Markus Gisdol in April with Cologne stuck in the bottom three. “I’m so happy for the club, the fans and the city of Cologne. I stink terribly, I’ll need a change of clothes,” the 67-year-old told broadcaster DAZN after his jubilant play...