England reclaims some glory

John Terry (left) was devastated after Chelsea's Champions League final loss; coach Avram Grant was fired four days later. AP The Limey's Mailbag Keep the banter flowing to The Limey. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

The Champions League final: dramatic, riveting, emotional. So many interwoven tales -- of heroism and euphoria, of loss and heartache. One hundred and twenty minutes of pulsating soccer followed by a heart-in-mouth penalty shootout to decide it all.

It determined not only a game, but also distinguished the realization of Sir Alex Ferguson's last nine years of dreaming, scheming, wanting and wishing from the frustration of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's inability to capture his ultimate footballing target, despite five years and more than $1 billion in investment.

It underlined the slimness of the margin by which United leads Chelsea, yet it is a gap big enough to have seen both the English Premier League and the Champions League trophies arrive at Old Trafford this season -- an outcome that looked improbable when Chelsea won back-to-back titles in 2004-05 and '05-06, a time when Abramovich's investments looked to have created a sustained period of West London dominance in English soccer.

The final was a glorious opportunity for the ever combative Paul Scholes, who missed United's '99 Champions League triumph through suspension to, at age 33, cap a sterling career. Scholes took his chance with aplomb -- ever tenacious in midfield and involved in the build-up to United's goal. Scholes' long-standing teammate Ryan Giggs replaced him after 87 minutes, and in doing so Giggs broke Sir Bobby Charlton's all-time record of United appearances.

Minutes later, but more than 17 years since his United debut, Giggs would slot home United's seventh and decisive penalty. Contrast that to Edwin van der Sar saving Nicolas Anelka's retort for Chelsea -- another low for Anelka, the unsettled journeyman striker, who still has not quite lived up to the incredible potential he showed at Arsenal. All too tellingly, of the two missed Chelsea penalties, the media has focused almost wholly on John Terry's heartache.

Terry, the bedrock of Chelsea's defense, the player who loves Chelsea like no other, the broad-shouldered man who, as a center-half, unexpectedly took on the responsibility of the fifth penalty following Didier Drogba's dismissal, was to experience heartache as he slipped on the sodden surface to send what could and should have been the winning penalty crashing against van der Sar's post. The rain didn't hide the tears in his eyes. Echoes of David Beckham at Euro 2004.

In missing, Terry stole another's headlines. Cristiano Ronaldo's fine bullet header had put United ahead, vindicating Ferguson's decision to move him to the left of the three-man United attack. His performance, while not world-beating in the manner of his display against Newcastle in January, was strong and wholehearted, and in posing a constant threat to Michael Essien, he was a main contender for man of the match.

This coming off the back of a season where Ronaldo was again both the Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year and the Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year. How stupid then to take a lengthy pause in the run-up to United's third penalty -- its only failure to convert.

That Ronaldo now consistently achieves such high standards, and has become a lynchpin in United's side, is largely testament to Ferguson's patience and skill in removing the nonchalant aspects of the young tricksters' play. This was a throwback to a younger, more naïve Ronaldo, a less likeable figure always keen for that superfluous stepover.

To err is human; to miss through arrogance altogether is much less forgivable. A testament that Ronaldo knew this all too well were his actions during Anelka's decisive miss. While his Man. Utd teammates stood in solidarity, arm-in-arm on the halfway line, Ronaldo crouched behind them like a dog, head down, unable to watch.

Ronaldo has some distance to go if he is to dispose the mercurial Lionel Messi as the world's greatest winger. Learning from that penalty would be an excellent start. A quiet postgame joke from a tactile, jubilant and affectionate Sir Alex could have been all so different. Would Ferguson, given the nature of the miss, have provided, like Avram Grant did for Terry, a shoulder to cry on?

Grant, despite knowing the ramifications of defeat for himself, walked straight to his captain in the aftermath of Chelsea's loss. Quietly dignified as ever, has there been seen a more despondent man than Grant when he walked alone down the steps clutching his losers' medal?