CHELSEA enjoyed another massive night in the Champions League, one that will go down in their history alongside many others as they beat Real Madrid 2-0 to reach the final.
For me, it is one of the most memorable, both because of how well the Blues played and how easily they disposed of a team considered one of the giants and best ever.
The victory, to seal a 3-1 aggregate win and a place against Manchester City in Instanbul on May 29, certainly makes the top five Euro nights I have witnessed for Chelsea.
But it’s only midway up the list. Here’s how they rank in ascending order …
5: Tromso 3 Chelsea 2
(1997-98 Cup Winners Cup 2nd Round 1st leg)
You may wonder why the final isn’t here instead of this tie, because we actually won this competition.
But for me, this tie was even more special because we were playing against absolute minnows in heavy snow, and we went 2-0 down.
It was the first time Chelsea had a very good chance of winning a European trophy since the 70s, and the two goals to get Chelsea back into the game from Gianluca Vialli we knew would be enough to see us through in the second leg, which we won 7-1 for a 9-4 aggregate success.
This always sticks out as one of my greatest memories as a Chelsea fan because of the team spirit and desire to get the goals back.
4: Chelsea 4 Barcelona 2
(2004-05 Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg)
It is ALWAYS special beating and knocking Barcelona out of any competition, and these were the years when had started to become our arch nemesis and fierce rivals.
This was a massive win to turn around being 2-1 down from the 1st leg to go through 5-4 on aggregate, and Barcelona HATED it!
3: Chelsea 2 Real Madrid 0
(2020-21 Champions League semi-final 2nd leg)
This night as I explained above, will also now sit with me as one of the greatest European nights as a Chelsea fan.
It’s been a weird season in football without fans at stadiums, but the whole buzz around the game online, and even outside Stamford Bridge before the match despite none of them being allowed inside to watch, all set it up for a triumphant night and an incredible result and performance by Chelsea over the two legs.
2: Barcelona 2 Chelsea 2
(2011-12 Champions League semi-final 2nd leg)
This was another defiant triumph over Barcelona, completing a 3-2 aggregate triumph and becoming even more significant because we went on to win the competition.
But against all the odds, just as with Real Madrid this week, Chelsea the underdogs beat a European giant to ruin their dreams. And in all that, we did it with 10 men for a portion of the match.
That Ramires chip, that Fernando Torres goal on the break, will always give me absolute feels.
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1: Bayern Munich 1 Chelsea 1
(2011-12 Champions League Final)
This game speaks for itself, with Chelsea up against a massive team who had been playing very well.
Bayern were by far the favourites, and Chelsea somehow managed to sweat blood and tears on the pitch to make it to the penalty shootout and win their first ever Champions League trophy.
This whole Champions League run Chelsea were the underdogs, and that is what makes winning it so much more special.
Can they do it again this season? Well, it certainly has that similar vibe to it and all the stars are aligned…
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
