Manchester City make the final for the first time and will play against Chelsea, their third ever final

By: Emmanuel Mendez

Man City and Chelsea will play on the 29th of May. Istanbul is no longer the venue and will now be played in Porto, Portugal. Credit: uefa.com

The beloved trophy all the European club’s desire to obtain will fall in the hands of an English club guaranteed. The favorites of the tournament over the past three years, Manchester City, have now finally made it to the final for the first time and are looking to lift the Champions League trophy, which would also be their first time. 

Chelsea`s change of manager has transformed them into a different team than they were at the beginning of the season. They make their third final ever and will look to add another Champions League title in their history books.

Man. City played PSG in the semifinal in a game that shows that the little things do add up. In the first leg, PSG was leading with a headed goal by their defender Marquinhos. 

PSG was all over Man City in the first half and was missing many chances. The second half arrived, and the teams looked opposite from the first half. Man. City insisted and pressed the French team constantly; PSG looked lost. 

The pressure was getting to the French team and Kevin de Bryune would score the equalizer after him sending a cross that wasn’t touched by anyone. The cross went straight in and was a mistake on part of the PSG goalkeeper, Keylor Navas. 

The second goal arrived courtesy of Riyad Mahrez after scoring a free-kick. He kicked it through the PSG wall because of an opening and was another mistake. Man City won the game 2-1 away from home and had a favorable advantage.

In the second leg, PSG was missing Kylian Mbappe because of an injury in his calf. The absence of Mbappe was felt even though he didn’t help enough in the first leg. 

PSG looked dangerous at times but couldn’t get shots on target. Man City scored early in the 11th minute thanks to a great team counterattack scored by Mahrez. PSG insisted and kept attacking but time was running out. 

The struggle of getting shots on target was because of the brilliant defending Man City showed and the amazing performance by Ruben Dias. Dias kept blocking crosses and shots which kept his team in the game. 

Once again, Man City on the counter capitalized and Mahrez would score again to make it 2-0. City won 4-1 on aggregate and advance to the Champions League final for the first time.

Chelsea played Real Madrid in the semifinal and the Blues looked dangerous. In the first leg, Chelsea scored first courtesy of Cristian Pulisic. 

He dribbled past the defenders and goalkeeper to slot the ball in the back of the net. Karim Benzema would score the equalizer in the 29th minute with a brilliant strike. 

The game ended 1-1 and it was a close game. N`golo Kante from Chelsea was a huge threat for Madrid because of his interceptions, his pressing, and his playmaking as well. He was everywhere and helped Chelsea massively.

The second leg was all Chelsea. Chelsea looked amazing and scored in the 28th minute thanks to Timo Werner. The ball hit the crossbar after Kai Havertz chipped it over the Madrid keeper and all Werner had to do was head it in. 

Madrid had a couple of dangerous attacks, but they couldn’t convert. 

In the second half, Chelsea looked like the team was desperate to score and had many clear opportunities to score. This game could’ve been worse for Madrid if Chelsea were able to finish these chances. Once again, Kante ran the show, and thanks to his pressing and playmaking, he helped in the second goal when Mason Mount scored in the 85th minute. 

The game was over. It ended 2-0 and Chelsea beat Real Madrid 3-1 on aggregate.

Manchester City and Chelsea will play each other for the European Cup and will be an exciting final. The final was supposed to take place in Istanbul, Turkey, but due to COVID cases rising there, the final had to switch the host city. 

The final will now be played in FC Porto`s stadium, the Estádio do Dragão. 

Six thousand fans from each team will be allowed to attend after last year’s final had no fans. This will be an entertaining game and now with fans back, it will definitely be a must-watch.