Another great Champions League final!

To be fair, we haven't been too disappointed in the last few years: the 2010, 2011, and 2012 Champions League finals have been entertaining games between two teams that deserved to be there and that gave it
their best shot. As a Chelsea fan, of course, I especially enjoyed last year!

Of course, Bayern Munich fans have been far less thrilled. Bayern holds the dubious distinction of being the only team in UCL history to lose three finals, and three consecutive finals, at that: the 1999 heartbreaker to Manchester United, where they led until the 91st minute and were taken down by a shocking Sheringham-Solskjaer one-two in stoppage time; the deserved 2010 defeat at the hand of a confident Inter; and the new 2012 heartbreaker to a resilient (and lucky) Chelsea. So Bayern had such high stakes going into this final. That's not to say that Borussia didn't. They confidently won the Champions League in 1997 against Juventus on their first-ever trip to the final, but since then they haven't been back to the top flights of Euro football. For them, this was a magical season that a UCL win would have but crowned.

Both teams had much to win and much to lose, and they both played like they were fully cognizant of that fact. With the exception of the first 15-20 minutes, the match was highly spectacular and one for the books. The rhythm soon escalated into an attacking pattern as formations stretched, midfields struggled to keep up, and goalies had to get busy from the get-go.

And that was merely the appetizer. Bayern and Borussia gave life to one of the best second halves of football that I've ever seen. Continuous chances on both ends resulted in some impressive saves by Neuer and Wiedenfeller. The goal, as they say, was "in the air," and Bayern struck first in the 60th minute after a spectacular Robben dribble that set Mandzukic up with an easy tap-in.

Borussia's reaction was fast and furious. They pressed hard for the next few minutes -- as you aren't really supposed to do, for fear of going down 0-2 -- and earned a penalty. Dante's foul was obvious, and it would have deserved a yellow card too, and since he had already been booked that might have influenced the final. In my opinion that was Italian referee Rizzoli's only stain on an otherwise excellent night. Be that as it may, Gundogan converted and the score was leveled.

The following 20 minutes weren't as exciting as the first part of the second half, but they were still very very good and highly entertaining to watch. Bayern came close on two occasions, including a seemingly easy tap-in by Robben miraculously saved by Subotic on the goal line. The final breakthrough was, again, on a stellar play by Robben, who took advantage of a lucky backheel by Ribery on the edge of the box, vaulted over two Borussia defenders, and deposited the ball gently past Wiedenfeller's right. It reminded me of a far less known but equally spectacular goal by Giuseppe Giannini in the Italy-USA 1990 World Cup group match.

Borussia's final attacks proved to be sterile, so Bayern wasn't robbed of another UCL in stoppage time. The trophy celebration seemed, if possible, even more enthusiastic than ever. I might be projecting here, but one of the best things in football is that every game tells a story beyond the story of that game itself. This wasn't just Bayern-Borussia in the 2013 Champions League final. This was the story of Bayern's quest to exorcise a reputation of losers; it was Borussia's quest for resurgence after a very troubled decade; it was Robben's personal story of redemption after an objectively disappointing career, never winning anything big and playing relatively poorly in three consecutive major finals (UCL 2010 and 2012, World Cup 2010).

And, of course, it was the story of the first-ever all-German UCL final and only the fifth time that teams from the same nation met in the final: previously, we'd seen Barcelona-Valencia in 2000, Juventus-Milan in 2003, and Manchester United-Chelsea in 2008. When the semifinals were drafted a few weeks ago, everyone was excited to see a different kind of intranational derby. The prospect of a first-ever Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the UCL final was almost too good to pass up! But when Bayern and Borussia literally shellacked the Spaniards in the semis first legs, we knew that we were in for a different treat. As it turns out, it was a damn tasty one.

And since the final was in Wembley, a friend and I have been joking that this was a "Blitzkrieg in London." You know, minus the V2s. ;-)

Rome Masters

ATP 1000 semis
Nadal – Berdych
Federer – Paire

WTA Premier semis
Williams – Halep (6-3, 6-0)
Errani – Azarenka

It's been a fun Internazionali d'Italia (Italian Open) so far, with some big surprises like Murray's early knockout and Sharapova's withdrawing from the quarters. We've seen a cool Nadal-Ferrer derby and an amazing match between Berdych and Djokovic. Seemingly defeated, Berdych fought back from 2-5 and 0-30 down in the second set to take the second set and then the third too. Easily the best match of the tournament and, perhaps, of the clay season so far.

And now let's hope for a Federer-Nadal final for old times' sake. They met once in a Rome final, seven years ago in 2006, which Nadal won in five sets and five hours. And for the record, Rafa is 12-2 on clay against Roger. (Here's the story of that epic 2006 final).

Chelsea are Champions of Europe again!

Europa League this time. Doesn't matter: have trophy! I'm still way too hyped to make sense, so, in no particular order:

• Say what you will about Torres: El Niño scores when it matters!
• Say what you will about Benitez: he got us silverware and a spot in next year's UCL.
• That header by Ivanovic was one of the best-placed headers I've ever seen.
• That shot by Lamps that hit the crossbar would have made me wet in my pants.
• That goal by Cardozo was offside, if by a few inches. Close but correct call (as was the penalty).
• Today is my birthday and I couldn't have asked for a better present!
• CHELSEA ARE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE AGAIN!!!

I fell in love with Chelsea when I was a teen, in the late 1990s when it was run by the Italians: Vialli, Zola, Di Matteo. Even though it is not the winningest club, over the years it has given me so much joy, both before and during the Abramovic era. The base is strong, the bonds are strong, the tradition is strong... and, let's face it, West London is just fuckin' pretty! None of that North London ugly. (I lived in Kensington for a couple of months, which just a few blocks from Stamford Bridge).

BLUE IS THE COLOUR!

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Torres goal (59')

Ivanovic goal (90' + 2')

OUR FACES WHEN WE WIN AT THE LAST MINUTE

THEIR FACES WHEN WE WIN AT THE LAST MINUTE

All pictures courtesy of The Telegraph

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Giro d'Italia - First week

We could hardly have had more surprises this week! It was quite the treat, used as I am to the Grand Tours slouching lazily through a boring first ten stages and only picking up with the first climbs. Not this year. After the first individual time trial and no real mountains to speak of yet, all expected to find Wiggings in pink and Sky locking up the front of the group.

Instead, Nibali is in pink and Wiggo is behind by well over a minute, and last year's winner Hesjedal is struggling mightily as well. We've had three very wet stages that have significantly slowed down Wiggins. In the 7th stage (Marina di San Salvo - Pescara), Wiggins fell due to slippery road conditions with about 5 km to go. Fear and tension forced him into a slow ride into Pescara, while Nibali and Evans pushed on to gain a good 80-90 seconds in the GC.

The next day in the long (57km) individual time trial, Wiggins was expected to dominate, but he didn't, surely because of the remnants of the previous day's trauma, be it physical, psychological, or both. He still finished second overall in the ITT, but only got back 11" on Nibali and 29" on Evans, who held very well. Of all the possible predictions, few would have thought that Nibali could win pink in a time trial!

The young Sicilian climber then further consolidated his lead in the next semi-mountainous stage, where the group dropped Wiggins and Hesjedal and he rode into Florence to close out the first week with a 29" lead on Evans, 1'15" on Gesink, and 1'16" on Wiggins. This is an important lead after nine stages and before the mountains.

This will have important tactical repercussions when the big climbs do arrive. For one, Wiggins will be forced to attack, which currently seems unlikely since he can't even keep pace: if any rider ever needed the rest day, it's him. Also, Sky Team won't be able to shut down the race into a front-group domination as they did at last year's Tour, which will open the door to more spectacular stages where non-GC runaway leaders have genuine fighting chances; I, for one, would love to see Evans be Evans, or even a last hurrah from that sly old dog Garzelli. Third, Astana will have pick up the slack and protect their captain Nibali against Wiggo and his teammates, which will be interesting because, in my opinion, Astana is a weaker team than Sky in the final analysis. As usual, indeterminacy makes a Grand Tour good.

The Giro's second week is absolutely exciting. Here's the road map of what lies ahead:

• Tuesday we start right off with a 1st category KOM arrival at Montasio, in the mountainous region of Friuli. This is the first high mountains stage of the Giro, and it comes right after the rest day, so it will be a meaningful test for Wiggins and Sky. Stage profile.

• Wednesday we ride higher up into Friuli. This will be an emotional stage for Italians due to the arrival on the very site of the 1963 Vajont Dam disaster. The final 2nd category KOM may also create some surprises. Stage profile.

• After two finishes for the sprinters, on Saturday we're back in the high mountains in Bardonecchia, after climbing up the Sestriere early in the stage, though on the less demanding face. Stage profile.

• Finally, on Sunday the Giro arrives at the infamous Col du Galibier, climbing its north face via the Col du Telegraph. That is a typical route in the Tour de France, and this is the very first time that it will be in the Giro. It's exciting to see what will transpire here. Stage profile.

Much of the Giro will be decided in the second week, even though the final three stages in the third week are also killer: a climbing time trial and two 1st category mountain arrivals. Still, if Wiggins doesn't switch back into his usual gear, and still assuming that Evans is too old to be competitive, Nibali may well seal the Giro victory during the second week.

Check out the best photos of the Giro so far (Sirotti/RCS)
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