Sunday, May 20, 2007

FA Cup Final: Triangles and Curves

Total Football. The Chelsea v Manchester United FA Cup final promised to be the biggest game of the year. And in terms of technical ball control skill, it just may have been. Dwight Yorke, Craig Foster and others pre-match views of a big Man U win or a high scoring game missed the obvious result of total football.

Chelsea held together its triangles and tight defence through the 120 minutes (90 + extra time). Perhaps the difference was split second timing problems from Man U's offside trap busters Giggs and Rooney. Their curving runs were not good enough. On one occasion Ronaldo was through by metres at the half way, but it was the offside Rooney who fielded the ball and was flagged.

Rooney was disciplined for this his biggest match since being sent off in last year's world cup rounds, while Chelsea's Drogba showed more of a tearaway streak, perhaps the only one on the field to do so. And it was enough to find space for the split second required for a goal.

And for the Man U goal that wasn't, I agree with Petr Cech, it was both over the line and a foul.

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