Latest News | News Break Nigeria Fierce crosstown rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid meet in the 2014 UEFA Champions League final at the 65,000-seater Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, on Saturday with one club trying to make history in the tournament. This is the first time in the history of the Champions League that both finalists have emerge from the same city (Madrid, Spain) – and the fifth one-nation final in the 59-year-old championship. In the first one-nation final at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, in 2000, Real Madrid hammered their fellow Spanish club Valencia 3-0 to win the title for the eight-time. Fernando Morientes, Raul and Steve McManaman hit the back of the net for Real. Iker Casillas, who is expected to start today’s match, was in goal during the encounter. AC Milan beat their Italian Serie A bitter rivals Juventus 3-2 in a penalty shootout in the second one-nation final at Old Trafford, Manchester, three years later. The game had finished 0–0 after extra time before the shootout. Former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko, Paolo Maldini, Gennaro Gattuso, current Milan manager Clarence Seedorf and Rui Costa were on the winning side while Edgar Davids, Gianluigi Buffon, David Trezeguet, Italy Gianluca Zambrotta and Alessandro Del Piero were losers. it was the turn of England to produce the finalists in 2008 with Chelsea and Manchester United clashing at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow. Manchester United triumphed 6-5 after the encounter ended 1-1 in regulation and extra time. The Chelsea duo of Nicolas Anelka and John Terry and Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs missed their kicks. And holders Bayern Munich ran out winners at Wembley Stadium, London, after beating German Bundesliga arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the 2013 final. Mario Mandzukic shot the Bavarians into the lead on 60 minutes but the Jurgen Klopp side levelled the scores eight minutes later through İlkay Gundogan’s goal from the spot. Arjen Robben’s 89th-minute winner took the trophy to Munich for the fifth time, after Bayern lost to Inter Milan 2-0 in the final of the 2010 edition at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid. Inter were managed by current Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho while the new Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal was in charge of affairs at Bayern. To reach the final, Real Madrid humiliated defending champions Bayern Munich 5-1 on aggregate while Atletico beat Chelsea 3-1 on aggregate to set a one-city showpiece. Real Madrid, who are the most successful side in the history of the arguably world’s most prestigious football tournament, will aim to win the European crown for the 10th time. Los Blancos (The Whites) have not won the competition since Zinedine Zidane’s glorious volley helped them to their ninth after beating Bayer Leverkusen at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, in 2002. This will be their first final appearance since then, having failed to get past the semifinals in the last three years. The new La Liga champions Atletico have never won the title, despite their rich history in European competition. The closest Los Rojiblancos (The Red-and-Whites) have ever come to winning the trophy was in 1974. However, Atleti lost 4-0 to Bayern Munich at Heysel Stadium, Brussels. Atletico arrived in Lisbon boasting two UEFA Europa League titles and two UEFA Super Cup titles (2010 and 2012). They lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1962. Under Quique Flores Atletico beat Fulham 2-1 at Hamburg Arena, Hamburg, Germany, to win the Europe League in 2010 while current manager Diego Simeone, who last Saturday guided the outfit to their 10th La Liga crown after waiting for 18 years, lead Los Indios (The Indians) to glory in the Europe’s second tier at Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania, in 2012. Atletico dispatched their Spanish side Athletic Bilbao 3-0. Atletico will become the 23rd club to win the Champions League and the first new name since Chelsea’s triumph in Munich in 2012. Despite becoming the first team to knock Barcelona out of the competition before the semifinal stage in six years with a 2-1 aggregate victory and battled to a 1-1 draw against Barca to win La Liga title at Nou Camp last Saturday, Atleti still remain underdogs. With super striker Diego Costa not expected to be fully fit for the final, Simeone will rely on his young midfield star Koke to set up David Villa, Adrian Lopez for goals, and hoping his in-form Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois strikes a good understanding with Juanfran, Diego Godin and Toby Alderweireld in the defence. Real, who are favourites going into the final, will bank their talismanic forward Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria and the world’s most expensive player Gareth Bale for victory. Both sides played out a 2-2 draw in La Liga at the Vicente Calderon Stadium on March 14, with Ronaldo netting a late equaliser for Real. In their first La Liga meeting at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on September 28, 2013, Atletico won 1-0. Real beat their neighbours 5-0 on aggregate to lift the Copa del Rey in February. Real coach Carlo Ancelotti will equal former Liverpool manager Bob Paisley’s record in Lisbon if he triumphs today. Englishman Paisley, who died on February 14, 1996, guided Liverpool to Champions League (European Cup) glory in 1977, 1978 and 1981. Ancelotti won the title with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007 and lost in the 2005 final as the Italian Serie A giants’ manager. The 54-year-old former Chelsea boss won the crown as a player in 1989 and 1990 with AC Milan. A victory for Atletico will make Simeone the third Argentine and third non-European manager to win the competition. Argentinian Luis Carniglia won the title with Real Madrid in Brussels in 1958 and defended it the following year in Stuttgart. Helenio Herrera won the trophy with Inter Milan in Vienna in 1964 and won in 1965 in Milan. Meanwhile, Simeone believes his side are good enough to win the title. “I think (the final) is fifty fifty,” the 44-year-old former Inter Milan and Atletico midfielder was quoted by euronews as saying during the week. “They (Atletico) have better individual players. We have great motivation and they have a strong desire. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have it either, I think we are leveled in that sense. It is going to be a balanced match.” Two-time European champion Casillas said, “They now have had four years of successes, I think they have had some fantastic years, and they are proving they are among the best in Europe. Our maximum respect goes to a rival who we think will be very tough to play against.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: editor@punchng
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 23:55:44 +0000