MUNICH (Reuters) – Chelsea stunned Bayern Munich to win the Champions League for the first time as Didier Drogba struck the decisive penalty in a shootout at the Allianz Arena following a tension-soaked final which ended 1-1 after extra time on Saturday.
Veteran Ivorian Drogba, who had equalised for Chelsea two minutes from the end of normal time, rolled the winning kick past Manuel Neuer as the visitors edged the shootout 4-3 after Bastian Schweinsteiger’s last kick for Bayern had hit the post.
Russian owner Roman Abramovic, whose eyes have been fixed on Europe’s biggest prize since buying the club, could barely contain his joy as Frank Lampard, skipper on the night in place of the suspended John Terry, held the trophy aloft on a memorable night in Bavaria.
It had looked an unlikely climax when Bayern, playing in their home stadium, were finally rewarded for their dominance when Tomas Mueller made the breakthrough they craved with an 83rd minute header past Petr Cech.
Within touching distance of lifting the famous trophy for the first time since 2001, all Bayern’s hard graft was undone with two minutes remaining when Drogba met Juan Mata’s corner with a thumping header past Neuer.
Bayern, four-times winners, were deflated and extra time could not separate the sides despite Bayern earning a penalty which Arjen Robben had saved by Cech.
Chelsea lost to Manchester United in the 2008 final on penalties but erased that painful memory by holding their nerve to become London’s first European champions and guarantee a place in next season’s competition despite only finishing sixth in the Premier League.
“I believe a lot in destiny.It was written a long time ago 59fifty fitted hats.This team is amazing and I dedicate this cup to all the managers and players we had before,” Drogba said.
“(My equalizer) changed the game.Life is fantastic.”
Stand-in manager Roberto Di Matteo, who still does not know whether he will be retained next season, praised the heart of his players who have continually defied the odds.
“We have a group of players with a big heart fitted hats…that was the only way we could achieve this trophy,” the Italian told ITV cheap 59fifty hats.
“Drogba has been incredible for this club.It’s just been an incredible three months, intense and demanding for everybody new era snapback hats.”
Bayern were left to rue a third near miss this season after finishing runners-up in the Bundesliga and the German Cup but this was the harshest of blows and one that brought back bitter memories if their last-gasp defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the Nou Camp in 1999.
“That’s football,” Bayern’s goalscorer Mueller said.
“We have seen it before in the past – that it is not necessarily the better side that has the cup in its hands after a match.”
LITTLE DOUBT
For much of a compelling, if not eye-catching final, there was little doubt that Bayern were the better side as they poured forward, only to be denied by a solid wall of blue or their own wastefulness in front of goal.
Both Thomas Muller and Mario Gomez snatched at clear chances as Chelsea rode their luck and manned the barricades as they did in the Nou Camp during their epic semi-final against Barcelona.
Mueller lashed one volley wide from Ribery’s cross while the disappointing Gomez showed a surprising lack of composure on several occasions.
Bayern continued to press after the break and did have the ball in the net after 53 minutes only for the celebrations to be cut short as Ribery was adjudged to be offside after Robben’s scuffed shot arrived at his feet.
Chelsea soaked up almost constant Bayern possession but in Drogba they still had some menace in attack, the Ivorian failing to connect with one presentable chance after 73 minutes as the tension reached unbearable levels in the stadium fitted hats.
Chelsea’s dogged resistance was snapped in the 83rd minute when Mueller arrived at the back post to bounce a header into the net from Toni Kroos’s deep cross.
Muller was buried under a pile of his joyous team mates as Bayern appeared to have clinched the trophy but there was to be a sting in the tail adjustable snapback hats.
With two minutes left on the clock, Chelsea earned their first corner of the night and when the ball was swung in Drogba climbed high to crash a header past Neuer.
It was a bitter blow for Bayern and Chelsea sensed their moment, pushing for an unlikely winner in the closing moments as the momentum swung in their favor.
Five minutes into extra time Drogba gave Bayern the perfect chance to go back in front when he clipped the heels of Ribery to concede a penalty but Petr Cech came to his side’s rescue with a superb stop to keep out Robben’s penalty.
Fate was beckoning Roberto Di Matteo’s team though and they were given another let-off when substitute Olic prodded a volley agonizingly wide with Cech helpless.
The night still seemed to be heading Bayern’s way when they moved 3-1 ahead in the penalty shootout after Mata missed Chelsea’s first spot kick but Olic failed with Bayern’s fourth effort and when Schweinsteiger struck the post the stage was left for Drogba to write his name into Chelsea folklore NBA snapback hats
BALTIMORE (Reuters) – Kentucky Derby champion I’ll Have Another won the $1 million Preakness Stakes on Saturday to remain on course for the Triple Crown, the greatest prize in U.S.thoroughbred horse racing.
It has been 34 years since the last horse, Affirmed, swept the three classic races, but I’ll Have Another has the chance to join the sport’s elite if he can win the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 9.
Patiently ridden by Mexican jockey Mario Gutierrez, I’ll Have Another completed the second leg when he wore down Bodemeister in the shadows of the post to win by a neck.
“It’s just kind of surreal,” said I’ll Have Another’s jubilant trainer Doug O’Neill.”Going into today, I thought this horse was a really, really good horse.
“And after today, he’s proven this is a great horse.He’s really a great horse.”
Guiterrez stalked the front-running Bodemeister the entire race, galloping comfortably in fourth place along the backstretch.
The Kentucky-bred chestnut son of Flower Alley inched up to third while leaving the far turn before finding another gear with a furlong left to challenge Bodemeister.
Gutierrez, 25, a top rider for six years at tiny Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, British Columbia, pumped his fist after I’ll Have Another crossed the finish line, a neck ahead of Bodemeister.
“The horse deserves the credit,” he said.”He earned it.He never got a lucky trip.He has proven himself in the run.I just want to prepare Jordy Nelson jersey.I want to be on the same level as him.
“He’s an amazing horse, and I’m happy to be riding him.”
Bodemeister set a suicidal pace at the Derby two weeks ago and weakened to finish behind the fast-finishing I’ll Have Another by one and a half.
On Saturday, Smith said he thought Bodemeister was headed to the winner’s circle until he saw I’ll Have Another exploding up the middle of the track new era snapback for sale.
“I thought I put him away but he reached up and got us with three strides,” he said.”Two great horses and I give them all the credit for what they did.”
Bodemeister’s Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, looking for his sixth Preakness triumph, conceded I’ll Have Another’s bid for the Triple Crown “is good for the sport, it’s good for the Belmont” but he added the heartbreaking loss was “tough.”
“The winner’s a good horse,” said Baffert.”It was a good horse race.I really can’t complain Jordy Nelson jersey.We didn’t win it but my horse ran his race cheap packers jerseys.”
Creative Cause, second for much of the race, finished third in front of a record crowd of 121,309 at Pimlico Race Course.Trainer Mike Harrington said he believes his colt’s pushing Bodemeister influenced the outcome.
“He just got outrun,” Harrington said of his Kentucky-bred grey.”He always brings his best race.He just couldn’t outrun those horses today.What can you do? You’ve got to try to win the race.
“(Jockey) Joel Rosario tried to win the race.I have no regrets.He probably won it for I’ll Have Another.”
A three-year-old chestnut colt, I’ll Have Another paid $8.40 for a $2 win ticket.He started second favorite behind Bodemeister over the mile and three-sixteenths trip on dirt.
I’ll Have Another became the 22nd horse to win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.
Only half of those have gone on to win the Belmont, the longest and most grueling of the three races.The last horse to win to win the first two legs but not the last was Big Brown in 2008.
“The way this horse runs, they’re going to have a hard time catching him,” said O’Neill, whose colt is unbeaten from four starts in 2012.
“I don’t think anybody doubts he’ll get the mile and a half 59fifty fitted hats.So we’re excited.I can’t wait to get to New York
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A late three-pointer by Kevin Durant capped a dramatic fightback by the Oklahoma City Thunder as they left the Los Angeles Lakers on the verge of playoff elimination with a 103-100 win in Game Four on Saturday.
The second-seeded Thunder stormed from 11 points behind early in the final quarter to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final series.
Forward Durant finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds while guard Russell Westbrook weighed in with 37 points as Oklahoma City stunned a sellout crowd at Staples Center that had sensed a home win.
“I wanted to run the shot clock down and get the last shot,” Durant told reporters of his dagger blow of a three-pointer with 13.7 seconds remaining.
“It left my hand, (and) I was thinking, ‘If this doesn’t go in, it’s going to be a terrible shot’ new era snapback for sale.It was able to go down.”
Kobe Bryant led the way for the third-seeded Lakers with a game-high 38 points and eight rebounds but his team were ultimately let down by poor shooting, a rash of turnovers and a leaking defense over the closing stretch.
“We’re all upset and extremely frustrated, (but) I don’t think anybody is worried about going into Oklahoma City and getting a win,” All-Star guard Bryant said, referring to Game Five on Monday Cheap New Era Hats.
“We don’t think about winning three in a row.We just think about taking care of business on Monday adjustable snapback hats.Just win that game and go from there.”
Trailing by 11 points with just under eight minutes remaining, the Thunder steadily clawed their way back before a layup shot by center Kendrick Perkins put them ahead 98-96 with 1.16 minutes left wholesale hats.
BREATHING SPACE
Though Bryant made two free throws to tie the score at 98-98, Durant poured in a three-pointer to give Oklahoma City welcome breathing space with 13.7 left on the clock cheap snapback hats.
Two free throws by reserve guard James Harden gave the visitors a 103-98 cushion before a Bryant jump shot on the buzzer lifted the Lakers into three figures.
For Lakers coach Mike Brown, Saturday’s tough loss boiled down to one worrying factor.
“We could talk about us offensively, yes, because we had some struggles,” he said.
“But it comes down to those guys (the Thunder) scoring 32 points in the fourth quarter 59fifty fitted hats.I felt like they did that very easily, and that’s what disappoints me more than anything else.”
In front of a packed Staples Center crowd, the lead changed hands seven times in a closely contested first quarter before the Lakers ended it with a rousing 8-2 run to go 29-24 up.
Los Angeles tightened their grip in the second quarter, suffocating defense and strong rebounding helping them into a 56-46 lead by halftime.
Though the Thunder twice cut the deficit to seven as Westbrook found a hot hand, Bryant scored with a jump shot to put Los Angeles ahead 80-71 going into the final quarter.
Oklahoma City then mounted their stirring comeback.
“It was an amazing win,” said Westbrook, whose 37 points came from 15-of-26 shooting Jordy Nelson jersey.”Everybody kept fighting.We all believed in each other.It’s the playoffs
MUNICH (Reuters) – Bayern Munich take on Chelsea in the Champions League final later on Saturday, with the Germans hoping to become European kings for the fifth time and the English attempting to reach the pinnacle of the game for the first time ever.
Both teams have a string of suspensions, with Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes missing three key players and Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo having to replace four.
Should Bayern win their first Champions League title since 2001, they will become the first team since Inter Milan in 1965 to lift the European Cup at home, and only the third to do so since the competition started out as the European Champions Cup in 1955-56.
The only other club to win the trophy in their home stadium were Real Madrid in 1957 adjustable snapback hats.
The other link with Real is that Heynckes coached Madrid to victory in 1998, and he himself would become only the fourth man to coach two different clubs to European Cup/Champions League success if Bayern are victorious.
“This is the highlight of our history,” said Bayern president Uli Hoeness, who won the biggest club prize in European football both as a Bayern player in the 1970s and as the club’s sports director in 2001 authentic new era hats.
“It is the ideal situation for us, one which will most likely be unique cheap packers jerseys.”
Chelsea, who won the European Cup Winners Cup twice, reached the Champions League final in 2008, losing to Manchester United on penalties in Moscow, while Bayern lost the 2010 final to Inter Milan in Madrid cheap 59fifty hats.
More than 63,000 fans will be at the Allianz Arena, with a further 100,000 expected to flood several public viewing areas in the Bavarian capital.
Munich police, who will have a heavy presence in the stadium and the city, said they expected 30,000 English fans
PARIS |
PARIS (Reuters) – Two people were killed and 15 others injured when a rally car ploughed into spectators during a race in the Var region of southern France, emergency services said on Saturday.
The car flew off a curve at Plan-de-la-Tour, near the city of Toulon on France’s Mediterranean coast.
A local public prosecutor, Danielle Drouy-Ayral, said a race marshal and a spectator had been killed.
The driver was taken to hospital with light injuries and authorities were waiting to see if his condition allowed him to be taken into custody, the prosecutor said adjustable snapback hats.
Witnesses said the driver had made a mistake at an intersection where competitors were supposed to turn right new era snapback.Instead, he drove straight ahead and hit a group of spectators, which included several children cheap hats
KATHMANDU |
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – For the second time, a 73-year-old Japanese woman has become the world’s oldest woman to climb Mount Everest, repeating her own record set 10 years ago, the company that organized the climb said on Saturday.
Tamae Watanabe reached the 8,850 meter (29,035 feet) summit with a Japanese partner and three Nepali Sherpa guides on Saturday morning, said Ang Tshering Sherpa, who runs the Asian Trekking company, which provided logistics to the team.
“Watanabe and other climbers are in good physical condition.They are descending to their last camp which is located at an altitude of 8,300 meters (27,230 feet),” he said authentic new era hats.
Watanabe, who first became the oldest woman to climb the mountain in 2002 at the age of 63, bettered her own record and set a new climbing feat, Sherpa said.She scaled the peak from the Tibetan side of the mountain.
Mount Everest straddles the Nepal-Tibet border cheap packers jerseys.It has been scaled by 3,700 people since New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa first climbed it in 1953 new era hats.
The list of climbers includes a blind person, a man with an artificial limb, a 13-year-old American boy and a 76-year-old Nepali man Cheap New Era Hats.
About 400 climbers are at camps on both sides of the mountain waiting for improved weather to make their summit attempts.Nepali tourism ministry officials said dozens of mountaineers had also climbed from the Nepali side of the mountain 59fifty fitted hats
ROME (Reuters) – Defending champion Maria Sharapova will take on Li Na of China in the Italian Open final after a confident 6-3 6-4 victory over Germany’s Angelique Kerber on Saturday.
The Russian world number two gained revenge on 12th seed Kerber for a defeat earlier this year, overpowering her opponent with heavy groundstrokes.
Li received a walkover into the final after title favourite Serena Williams withdrew on Saturday with a lower back injury.
A winner in Stuttgart last month, Sharapova broke early in both sets and was never headed as she reached her fifth final of the year adjustable snapback hats.
“There’s one more to go,” Sharapova told a news conference.”I’m extremely happy with the way I’ve progressed in this tournament cheap hats.
“I started off a little slow but I’ve had a number of tough matches and I’ve continued to improve atlanta braves hats.”
The Russian made 27 winners to her opponent’s nine and her serve, which can be inconsistent, was a weapon.
The final will be a repeat of last year’s semi-final at the French Open, which Li won on the way to taking her first grand slam title.
“That was a tough one for me and this is a tough match-up for me,” she said Aaron Rodgers jerseys.
“I’ve had tough battles against her but I’m not looking back to that loss, though.It’s about tomorrow.”
Neither player has dropped a set on the way to the final but Li said she would have liked to have had the chance to play Williams.
“Of course I’m happy to reach the final but I don’t like winning like that,” she said.
Williams said she had pulled out “as a precaution” and expected to be 100 percent fit for the French Open, which begins on May 27.
“If it’s not 100 percent it’s better not to play and make it worse,” the world number six said.
“But I am in good form, I have a few days to get better and I am confident I will be 100 percent fit for the French Open.”
When she won the title in Madrid last weekend, Williams described her male counterparts as “weenies” for complaining about the slippery nature of the blue clay, saying the women were “way tougher than men”.
But on Saturday, the former world number one admitted she might have to eat her words.
“I guess it turns out I was the weenie,” she said via Twitter
ROME (Reuters) – Serena Williams said she expected to be 100 percent fit for next week’s French Open despite withdrawing from the Italian Open on Saturday because of a back injury.
The American had been due to play China’s Li Na in the first semi-final but told a news conference she was pulling out as a precaution.
“On Friday morning I felt a bit of pain in my lower back and if it’s not 100 percent it’s better not to play and make it worse,” the world number six said.
“But I am in good form, I have a few days to get better and I am confident I will be 100 percent fit for the French Open cheap hats.”
Williams played only four games in the previous round as Flavia Pennetta of Italy retired with a wrist problem snapback for sale.
“Yesterday I might have had to retire as well,” Williams said cheap packers jerseys.”I don’t know because we only played a bit and I didn’t have time to check my condition new era snapback for sale.”
Williams, who has won claycourt titles in Charleston and Madrid in the past month, said she needed to be careful not to over-play, having been out of the game for a year in 2010 and 2011 because of a blood clot on one of her lungs new era snapback hats.
French Open holder Li will go through to play either Maria Sharapova of Russia or Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the final
ROME (Reuters) – Five-times champion Rafa Nadal wore down fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-6 6-0 on Saturday to reach the final of the Rome Masters.
The second seed came from 3-1 down to win the first set and then ran away with the second to set up a final against either world number one Novak Djokovic or number two Roger Federer.
Sixth seed Ferrer had the better of an 86-minute first set, but could not push home his advantage as Nadal won the tiebreak 8-6, before running away with the second.
“At the start of the match, David was playing unbelievably,” Nadal said afterwards.”My thought was that the best news for me would probably to be level at 3-3.
“After the first six, seven games then it was more equal because before that he was playing better than me snapback new era hats.”
Nadal said he had not played as well as he did in beating Czech Tomas Berdych in the previous round, but used his mental strength to get through the match.
“I was very happy with how I was mentally, because I stayed focused all the time fitted hats.
“In the second set I started a little bit better and he was a little tired, which is normal after such a difficult first set.”
Nadal has now beaten Ferrer in 12 straight clay-court matches, and the world number six admitted he did not know how to beat him on his favorite surface Aaron Rodgers jerseys.
“I was very close in the first set, but against Rafael you have to take your chances and I could not do it,” he said
ROME (Reuters) – World number one Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in straight sets on Saturday and will play Rafa Nadal in the Rome Masters final for the second year in a row.
Defending champion Djokovic ended Federer’s hopes of back-to-back claycourt titles with a gutsy 6-2 7-6 victory over the Swiss.
Five-times Rome champion Nadal wore down fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-6 6-0 to reach his 70th career final.
In their first meeting since last year’s U.S snapback new era hats.Open semi-final, which Djokovic won, the Serb broke twice to win the first set.
Dominating the baseline rallies, top seed Djokovic constantly forced Federer on to the back foot and an errant forehand handed him the break for 4-3 in the second.
Suddenly Federer became more aggressive and began to vary his game and when he saved a match point at 5-4 before breaking back, he was back in the match.
But Djokovic regained his poise just in time to clinch the tiebreak 7-4 when Federer sent a backhand long.
In the first semi-final, Nadal made it 12 wins in a row on clay against Ferrer in a match in which a grueling first set lasted 86 minutes Jordy Nelson jersey.
Sixth seed Ferrer had the better of it early on and led 3-1 but Nadal fought straight back and after taking the tiebreak 8-6, he ran away with the second Aaron Rodgers jerseys.
“At the start of the match, David was playing unbelievably,” Nadal said.”My thought was that the best news for me would probably to be level at 3-3.
“After the first six, seven games then it was more equal because before that he was playing better than me.”
Nadal said he had not played as well as he did in beating Czech Tomas Berdych in the previous round, but used his mental strength to get through.
“I was very happy with how I was mentally, because I stayed focused all the time,” he said.
Nadal, who will go back above Federer to the No.2 spot if he wins, said he would need to be at his very best if he is to take the title.
“If I play my best clay-court tennis then hopefully I will have my chances,” he said atlanta braves hats.
“It will be an important match to close the clay-court season before Roland Garros with perfect feelings
