So I’m not a radical anti-spoiler type, but I did DVR the second leg of the Chelsea-Barca UEFA tilt this past Tuesday and on the way home was avoiding hearing the final outcome. So of course, being a dolt, I get home, open my feedreader, and click on the Sports folder, only to see at the top:
Fernando Torres Scores In Extra Time, Sends Chelsea To Champions League Final
Then I compounded the problem by actually reading the item from SportsGrid which revealed Chelsea playing with 10 men, Lionel Messi (GREATEST FOOTBALLER EVER ™, not) missing a penalty kick, and Chelsea scoring in extra time of the first half. Great! Why even bother to watch the recording now?
Well I did, and it was definitely worth it. First, Mireles’ Ramires’ goal at the end of the first half was sheer brilliance. Great run, perfectly placed ball. Second, not only did Messi miss a PK, he also hit the post on a near-miss that might have been helped by Petr Cech. Third, apparently no one told SportsGrid that down 2-1, Chelsea still would have advanced, tied on aggregate but with an away goal as the tiebreaker. So there was definite drama as FC Barcelona kept extended possession around the Chelsea box, probing and searching for that third goal. I half expected Barca to flop, errr luck into, another PK. The Torres goal sealed the deal but in no way did it “send Chelsea to Champions League Final”. The brilliant, disciplined, and a bit lucky, Chelsea defense did that.
So much for spoilers.
Now if only I’d not been listening to sports talk radio before the Bayern Munich-Real Madrid match…